Algeria was forced to find another member to defend its positions at the African Union Commission after the departure of its president Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The president of the Peace and Security Council, Smail Chergui, is expected to assume the role previously played by the South African official. In fact he met last night with Horst Kohler, the new UN personal envoy to Western Sahara.
Horst Köhler, the newly-appointed UN Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, officially took office on the 8th of September and has already met with senior UN officials, the UN said in a statement on Sunday. A tour in the region is also planned for October of the current year. What are the reasons behind this first visit ? The answers are provided by Abdelfettah El Fatihi, a political expert and analyst on the matters of Western Sahara and Africa, in an interview with Yabiladi.
In 2012, the Polisario’s former «Minister of Defense», Lamine Ould El Bouhali had declared to a Spanish daily newspaper that a huge number of young Sahrawis had joined terrorist groups in the Sahel. Five years later, the phenomenon has escalated in a worrying way that was displayed through the Front’s media platform. Details.
On the 29th and 30th of November the Ivorian economic capital, Abidjan, will host the «European Union-African Union» summit. Will Morocco accept the presence of a Polisario delegation at this event ? In the past, Rabat had successfully marginalized the front and banned it from attending such gatherings, however, this year the situation has changed. Details.
On Thursday the Moroccan delegation present in Maputo to attend the Tokyo International Conference of Africa’s Development (TICAD) has been prevented from taking part to the conference after protesting against the presence of a Polisario delegation. This Friday and during a meeting held with Nasser Bourita, the Japanese Foreign Minister has expressed «his deep regrets» over the incident that took place the previous day.