The Southern African Development Community (SADC) had planned to deliver on Monday before the UN Fourth Committee a declaration challenging Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara. As the SADC members failed to reach a consensus, the community withdrew its declaration from the agenda and itself from the list of speakers. Observers see this development as very significant, especially that member of the community, South Africa, has long used the SADC to lobby support and prevent Morocco from making diplomatic inroads into southern Africa. Pretoria sought by all means to encourage this regional economic community to back the separatist theses and defend the interests of the Polisario and its self-proclaimed pseudo-republic during regional and international forums. And it was in this context that South Africa drafted the declaration that was to be presented before the UN fourth committee by the Permanent Representative of Mozambique.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 04, 2020 10:52 UTC