AU : Algeria criticizes Polisario's exclusion from meetings with international partners

Algeria is irritated by the Polisario's series of exclusions from meetings with the African Union's international partners. This was evidenced by the speech made by Algeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs in Accra on Friday, during the 45th session of the pan-African organization's Executive Council.

Ahmed Attaf felt that the current model in force «damages the credibility of our continental organization, all the more so as this network of partnerships has continued to expand in recent times without us, as member states, having any say in the matter».

Ahmed Attaf criticized «the desire of some to enshrine the policy of exclusion, or rather the exclusion of a founding member of our organization by preventing its participation in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development-TICAD», in reference to Morocco. The African Union «was created to bring together and not to exclude, to unite and not to divide, and to unite the ranks of the states and peoples of Africa and not to divide them», he stressed.

Algeria spares China and Russia and focuses on Japan

Contrary to the Algerian Foreign Minister's version, the Polisario did take part in all TICAD meetings, against the wishes of Japan and Morocco. This is evidenced by Polisario leader Brahim Ghali's participation at the 8th Africa-Japan Summit in Tunis in 2022. The next conclave is scheduled for August 2025 in Yokohama. In his speech, however, Ahmed Attaf failed to mention the Polisario's exclusion from partnership meetings with Russia, China, Italy, India, Turkey, South Korea and the United States.

The Polisario played the same score. Its «Minister of Foreign Affairs», Mohamed Sidati, stressed «the importance of respecting the right of all countries to participate in partnership meetings» in accordance with «resolution 762 of the African Union summit», adopted in February 2020 in Addis Ababa. The decision «reaffirms the right of all AU member states to participate in statutory meetings, linked to partnerships between the African Union/African continent and another continent or regional organization».

The Polisario representative demanded that «all partnerships must be named under the name of the African Union, as this is the political identity that brings together all countries that have signed and ratified the African Union Charter without restrictions or conditions».

Ahmed Attaf and Mohamed Sidati held a working meeting before the start of the 45th session of the AU Executive Council in Accra.