South Africa is pressuring Ivory Coast into inviting the Polisario to the 5th AU-EU summit

Again the 5th African Union-EU summit is creating tension among some African countries. Apparently the AU special session dedicated to the review of topics to be discussed during the next conclave, held on Monday 16th of October at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, is believed to have stressed on the participation of the Polisario Front to the upcoming international summit.

Media platforms close to the separatist movement, on the other hand, have confirmed South Africa’s support to the Polisario regarding the meeting. They also indicated that Pretoria has allegedly sent the Ivory Coast, which will host the event from the 29th to the 30th of November, an ultimatum indicating that the country should send invitations to all the member states of the African Union organization before the 27th of October, without exception.

If not, South Africa allegedly threatened to change the location of the 5th African Union- EU summit which is scheduled to take part in Abidjan, the Ivorian capital, to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. With this change, South Africa intends to ensure the presence of «SADR».

South Africa vs. France

The step taken by South Africa foreshadows the growing influence of Pretoria on the Western Sahara conflict, particularly in Africa. A role that was previously played by Algeria.

However, for the neighboring country, supporting the separatist movement is a waste of money and time, especially with the growing political uncertainty in the country. In fact, there are other regional problems that attract the country’s attention. An example is the Sahel issue which made the Algerian Foreign Minister go on a tour to the region.

The Zuma government does not miss an opportunity to show support for the separatist movement. Last week, Brahim Ghali, leader of the Front, managed to attend a session of the Pan-African Parliamnet as a guest of honor.

On the other hand, South Africa will have to face France which refused categorically the participation of the Polisario Front to the meeting. On Monday, 10th of October, the French Foreign Minister, Jean Yves le Drian declared in Rabat as reported by APS that France is for «a consensus solution that would allow only sovereign states to participate in the partnership meeting, AU-EU».