5th African Union-EU Summit : The Polisario accuses France of blocking its participation

The Polisario accuses France of blocking its participation in the next African Union-EU summit. The 5th AU-EU conference will take place on the 29th and 30th of November in Abidjan, Ivory Cost to strengthen political and economic ties between the two continents.

Kenya : Raila Odinga, withdraws from October 26 poll re-run

Jacob Zuma imposes Brahim Ghali as a guest of honor at a 5th session of the Pan-African Parliament

South Africa is once again trying to assist the Polisario’s leadership. In August, the country showed support for the Front in a statement delivered before the South African Development Community countries, while in September it managed to mention the Western Sahara conflict during a BRICS’ conference. Yesterday and during the 5th ordinary session of the Pan-African Parliament, Pretoria imposed Brahim Ghali as a guest of honor.

Sahara : Antonio Guterres meets a Polisario representative at the UN

Khat Ach’chahid to Horst Kohler : «The Polisario doesn’t have the right to negotiate on behalf of Sahrawis»  

The Martyr’s way (Khat Ach’chahid), an opposition movement within the Polisario Front, led by Mahjoub Salek, has sent a letter to the new personal envoy to the UN Secretary-General  for Western Sahara. A letter in which the movement recalls that the Front «doesn’t have the right to negotiate in the name of the Sahrawi people». Details.

Catalonia Referendum : Morocco supports Madrid while Algiers and Tindouf remain silent

Authorities could not prevent thousands of Catalans from taking the streets and voicing their choices. Catalan officials said that 90 % of those who voted supported independence in yesterday’s vote. In the Maghreb region, the referendum of Catalonia almost went unnoticed. As Morocco showed support for Madrid, Algiers and the Polisario Front remained silent in an embarrassing way.

The Polisario sent a delegation to Brussels demanding the signing of a trade agreement with the EU

The new EU-Moroccan trade negotiations have been targeted by a group of MEPs and the Polisario Front. Both believe that these talks would be in conflict with the CJEU’s verdict pronounced on the 21st of December 2016. The Front even called for the organization of a separate agreement with the EU.

Sahara : Is Algeria using the president of the PSC to replace Dlamini-Zuma

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.

Western Sahara :  The challenges of Horst Köhler’s first visit [Interview]

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.

The war against the Sahara’s sands at the center of the European parliament