Mauritania’s Ould Abdel Aziz puts Morocco on an equal footing with the Polisario

Mauritania’s outgoing president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was at the Nouakchott airport, Wednesday, when officials received guests invited to the inauguration ceremony of his successor Mohamed Ould Ghazouni, scheduled for Thursday.

Before leaving office, Ould Abdel Aziz insisted on putting Morocco on an equal footing with the Polisario Front. He told Prime Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Bashir to welcome his Moroccan counterpart Saadeddine El Othmani and the leader of the Front Brahim Ghali.

Unlike this year, the inauguration of Ould Abdel Aziz in 2014 was attended by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives Rachid Talbi Alami. The presence of El Othmani bears a strong message for Ould Ghazouani, ending the years of tension between Rabat and Nouakchott.

For the record, Ould Ghazouani told the crowds during an election rally, held in the city of Kaedi, that he «will not be granting Mauritanian citizenship to Sahrawis living in Tindouf or elsewhere».

The politician believes that the procedure is «unacceptable», adding that granting Sahrawis this status would affect Mauritanians».