Algeria and the Polisario denounce the opening of consulates by Guinea and Gabon in the Sahara

Once again, Algeria denounced the opening of African consulates in the Sahara. On Saturday, January 19, the Algerian Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that «the serious unilateral decision taken by Guinea and Gabon to open consulates in Western Sahara can under no circumstances legitimate the occupation of the territory».

This statement comes after Guinea and Gabon opened consulates in the city of Laayoune and Dakhla on Friday, January 17. Their decision comes after several other African countries opened consulates in Dakhla and Laayoune.

Guinea and Gabon’s decision was also denounced by the Polisario Front, which sent a letter to the African Union Commission.

For the record, in June 2019, Cote d’Ivoire opened an honorary consulate in the city of Laayoune, opening the door for other African countries to do the same. Comoros, Gambia, Guinea and Gabon followed into its footsteps, inaugurating diplomatic representations in the Sahara.