Western Sahara: Guinea-Bissau reaffirms Resolution 2797 backing
Guinea-Bissau's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fatumata Jau, reaffirmed her country's steadfast support for Resolution 2797, or the Moroccan Autonomy Plan, following a June 29th meeting in Rabat with her Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.
Moroccan-West African ties are flourishing as Guinea-Bissau reaffirms support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara, according to the pro-Moroccan North Africa Post and agencies on June 29th.
Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fatumata Jau, reaffirmed her country’s steadfast support for Resolution 2797, or the Moroccan Autonomy Plan, following a June 29th meeting in Rabat with her Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.
Under this plan, the Western Sahara would be granted limited self-governance under Moroccan sovereignty; it is widely perceived as a credible solution to a territorial dispute that has persisted since Spanish colonial rule ended in 1975.
On May 19th, Guinea-Bissau joined 130 nations in backing Moroccan sovereignty, alongside several African nations, including Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Senegal.
Jau also praised Morocco’s Atlantic Initiative, which would allow landlocked African countries to access the Atlantic Ocean via Morocco.
She welcomed progress on the Africa-Atlantic Gas Pipeline project, which would link Nigeria to Morocco, describing it as a symbol of South-South cooperation.
Additionally, Jau emphasised the importance of Guinea-Bissau opening a Consulate General in Dakhla in October 2020; Dakhla is situated within the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.
Despite widespread support for Moroccan sovereignty, the plan has been rejected by Algeria and its allies, namely the Polisario Front separatist militia.
Polisario militants claim to fight for self-determination for the Sahrawi people, who are indigenous to the Western Sahara but have been displaced by decades of conflict.
Many Sahrawi refugees reside in Algeria’s Tindouf camps, which have allegedly hosted Hezbollah militants, Tuareg and Kurdish separatists, leading to concerns about the camps becoming an extremist hub.
Sahrawi activists have accused Morocco and its allies of exploiting the resource-rich Western Sahara, as foreign companies scramble to invest in the disputed territory.
The Tindouf camps’ proximity to the Mauritanian border has led Mauritania to develop security cooperation with Morocco following concerns about Polisario incursions.
Furthermore, through its alliance with several African nations, Morocco has expressed concerns about collaboration between separatists and Islamist militants.
On June 9th, Bourita called for Africa to become a global counterterrorism hub, stating that this vision would provide a comprehensive approach to Africa’s security challenges.
Maghrebi attempted to contact Jau for further comment on Guinea-Bissau’s support for Resolution 2797, but was unable to find contact information at the time of publication.
North Africa Post and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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