Tension has swept over the preparations of the Arab-African Summit, as the delegation of Morocco withdrew on Tuesday due to the participation of an independent delegation from Western Sahara. The dispute between Morocco and the Western Sahara, located south of Morocco, started after the country’s independence from French occupation in 1956. Morocco and Mauritania disputed over which country will take over the sovereignty of the Western Sahara, agreeing that Morocco will take over northern Western Sahara and Mauritania will take over the southern part. Morocco rejected the independence and suggested an independent ruling for Western Sahara, but under the sovereignty of Morocco. All parties have agreed on a public referendum whereby they will decide on the political fate of Western Sahara; however, the referendum date has not been fixed yet.

Source: Daily News Egypt November 23, 2016 16:15 UTC