Southern Africa : Morocco mends diplomatic ties with yet another Polisario ally

Morocco is trying to mend diplomatic ties with Tanzania, a country that recognizes the self-proclaimed «SADR». On Thursday, December 21, Rabat hosted a meeting between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Tanzanian counterpart January Yusuf Makamba. The two diplomats agreed to implement the 22 agreements signed during the last visit of King Mohammed VI to Tanzania in October 2016.

The meeting is meant to «mobilize actors from government departments and the private sector to implement the objectives of our bilateral relations», Bourita told media following the meeting with his Tanzanian counterpart. Rabat is turning the page on tense diplomatic ties with Dodoma ahead of the launching of a Joint Cooperation Commission and a series of official visits between the two countries to discuss partnerships across various sectors.

This partnership momentum will be further strengthened by the holding of the business forum in March 2024 in Tanzania. A «crucial step in promoting economic relations between the two countries», welcomed Minister January Yusuf Makamba. The latter affirmed that since the royal visit in 2016, «trade between the two countries has recorded a clear increase, from $28 million in 2016 to $285.5 million in 2022».

A partnership bolstered by trade

For his part, Nasser Bourita assured his Tanzanian counterpart of «Morocco's readiness to support the efforts made by Tanzania, to promote priority development sectors, by making the most of the exchange of expertise and experiences in several areas, notably agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, renewable energies, port management and the qualification of human resources».

The visit of the Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs to Morocco was preceded by a meeting, held on January 26, 2023 in Dakar, on the sidelines of the Forum on Food Sovereignty in Africa, between the president of the United Republic of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan, and the CEO of OCP group, Mostafa Terrab. The discussions then focused on the construction of a fertilizer blending factory in Kisarawe.

A month prior to the meeting between the countries' top diplomats, Tanzania received the leader of the Polisario as guest of honor at the congress of President Hassan's political party. A visit marked by talks between Brahim Ghali and the Tanzanian head of State.

In their statements, the two foreign ministers did not address Western Sahara. The United Republic of Tanzania is also a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). A bloc considered to be under the influence of South Africa, another traditional ally of the Polisario in the continent.

Rabat, however, managed to convince five SADC countries to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara and to open consulates there: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Eswatini, the Union of the Comoros and Malawi.