The Algeria-backed Polisario, which is claiming sovereignty over the Western Sahara territory in Southern Morocco, is losing more ground in Africa day by day.
On Friday, the separatists were dealt another blow as Malawi announced that it withdrew its recognition of the pseudo-Sahrawi republic proclaimed by the Polisario.
The announcement was made by Malawian Foreign Minister, Francis Kasayla, at a meeting in Rabat with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.
“The Republic of Malawi has decided to withdraw its recognition of SADR which it recognized on March 6, 2014, and to maintain a neutral position vis-à-vis the regional conflict over the Sahara,” Francis Kasayla said.
Malawi has thus joined its voice to the over two thirds of African countries, which support Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and which applauded Morocco’s return to the African Union last January.
Actually, Morocco’s return to the African Union, sounded the death knell for the Polisario, which is now seeing support for its separatist thesis waning in the continent. Several African countries that once supported the Polisario, including heavyweights such as Nigeria and Ethiopia, are backtracking and joining Morocco’s efforts to reach a lasting political solution.
The Polisario is also losing ground at the international level. Just a week before the announcement of Malawi’s decision, the Polisario suffered another setback at the United Nations. The UN Security Council forced the separatist front to withdraw its militiamen from the demilitarized buffer strip of Guerguarat on the borders between Morocco and Mauritania and adopted resolution 2351, which calls for a political settlement of the Sahara conflict and reiterates support for the Morocco-proposed autonomy plan as a credible basis for reaching a mutually acceptable solution.
Also on Friday, Washington sent positive signals to Morocco as it expressed support for a political solution to the Sahara issue based on the autonomy proposal under the Kingdom’s sovereignty.
This came in the US 2017 appropriation bill, adopted by the Congress and promulgated by President Trump Friday.
Morocco “welcomes the provisions relating to the Moroccan Sahara in the 2017 appropriations bill,” said the Moroccan Foreign Ministry in a statement, adding that the bill provides for the use of funds allocated to Morocco in all the national territory including the Saharan provinces.
For the Moroccan Foreign Ministry, the provisions on the Sahara and the report accompanying the bill reflect the Congress’s unambiguous support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative. The report also emphasizes that “the Secretary of State should pursue a negotiated settlement of this dispute, in accordance with the United States’ policy supporting a solution based on autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty”.
The appropriation bill encourages the US administration “to support investments of the private sector in the Western Sahara”. It also alludes to the embezzlement by the Polisairo leaders, in connivance with Algerian officials, of the humanitarian aid sent to the Polisario-run Tinfoud camps by stressing the need for firmer monitoring of the humanitarian aid sent to the refugees across North Africa.
It is high time the Algerian regime realized that the separatism thesis it is nurturing is collapsing.