Zambia and Comoros join Malawi in rejecting SADC-Polisario agreement

Following Malawi, Zambia and the Union of the Comoros—both members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)—have now also voiced their rejection of the memorandum of understanding signed on April 2 with the Polisario.

In a note addressed to the Kingdom’s embassy in Lusaka on April 8, the Zambian government «explicitly rejects the memorandum of understanding», describing it as «non-binding». Zambia also reaffirms its «unequivocal» support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, calling it the «only credible, serious, and realistic solution» to the conflict.

The Union of the Comoros, for its part, expressed its disapproval directly to the SADC Executive Secretariat in a note dated April 7. The Comorian government voiced its «astonishment» at the signing of the memorandum on April 2 and stressed that the issue of the Sahara falls exclusively under the jurisdiction of the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General.

In its note, the Comoros invoked Article 5 of the SADC Constitutive Charter, which restricts the organization's actions to the Southern African region. The government warned that «SADC’s interference in the Sahara issue risks undermining the credibility of our regional organization».

Malawi, Zambia, and the Union of the Comoros all support Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara. Each of the three SADC members has opened a consulate in either Dakhla or Laayoune.