The support enjoyed so far the Polisario in Africa is cracking. The latest evidence that the separatists are losing ground came from Tanzania. The East African country has actually expressed support to the UN-sponsored process seeking to reach a political solution to the Western Sahara issue, while it was, not so long ago, among the staunch supporters of the Algeria-backed separatist front.
After the official visits King Mohammed VI of Morocco paid to Rwanda and Tanzania, the pro-Polisario wall in East Africa began to crumble dangerously, to the great displeasure of the Algerian regime.
The joint communiqué released after the King’s visit in Dar es Salaam during the last week of October has finally buried the hopes nourished by Algerian generals to keep Tanzania in the narrowing circle of pro-Polisario countries in East Africa.
The document states that the Tanzanian president, John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, expressed his country’s support to the UN-sponsored process destined to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable settlement to the Sahara issue.
President Magufuli also voiced Tanzania’s backing to Morocco’s decision to reintegrate the African Union (AU) and said he would willingly support Morocco’s admission in its institutional pan-African family at the next AU summit in January 2017.
The remarks sound like a snub to the procrastination of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the chairwoman of the AU commission, notorious for her support to the Polisario. The ex-wife of the South African President is delaying intentionally the distribution to the Member States of the Pan-African organization of Morocco’s official application to integrate the AU. The application was sent to the AU commission on September 22.
Dlamini-Zuma’s procrastination has been at the focus of a telephone conversation between the King of Morocco and Chadian President Idriss Déby Itno. The latter, in his capacity as President of the next AU summit, promised to do whatever is necessary to remedy the situation.
