The African Union has decided to allow Morocco back into the fold after a 33-year absence, despite stiff resistance from some member states over the status of Western Sahara.



After an emotional and tense debate, member states decided by consensus to leave the question of the disputed territory of Western Sahara for another day, and resolve it with Morocco "back in the family".

"Morocco has been admitted to join the AU with a view that it will become the 55th member of the continental body. That's made with the understanding that Western Sahara will remain a member of the AU," said Lamine Baali, ambassador of Western Sahara to Ethiopia and the AU.

"All the debates were focused on [the issue] that Morocco should respect the internationally recognised border of Western Sahara."

The only African country not to belong to the AU, Morocco left its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, in 1984 after the body recognised the independence of Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.

Morocco submitted its bid to rejoin last year, reportedly in the hope that being inside the AU would bring it diplomatic gains against Western Sahara's independence movement - the Polisario Front - and allow it to lobby against Western Sahara's membership in the AU.



But Baali said Morocco had been re-admitted "with the understanding that Western Sahara will remain a member of the AU".



The membership of relatively wealthy Morocco was welcomed by many members of the AU, which has been criticised for being overly dependent on non-African donor funding.



There was also some opposition from countries supporting the Polisario, observers said.

An African Union source, who followed the debate for Morocco to return to the continental body, said that 39 countries supported Morocco's bid but nine voted against it.

Polisario leader and member of the Sawhrawi delegation Minister Mohamed Beiset told Al Jazeera that while there was a lengthy debate, "the wisdom of the African leaders made it possible to reach a consensus that was acceptable to everyone".

The delegation decided, said Beiset, that "it was better to have Morocco inside the house, inside the family, and to try to reach African solutions to African problems".

He congratulated Morocco for joining the AU, and said it was "a new opportunity that we should all seize in starting a ... genuine dialogue between us to reach a solution to the long-standing conflict that has separated us".

With reporting by Hamza Mohamed in Addis Ababa.</s>ADDIS ABABA: The African Union decided Monday to allow Morocco back in the fold after a 33-year absence, despite stiff resistance from some member states over the status of Western Sahara.

After an emotional and tense debate, member states decided by consensus to leave the question of the disputed territory of Western Sahara for another day, and resolve it with Morocco "back in the family."

"From the moment that Morocco did not impose conditions ... we take their word for it and accept that Morocco be admitted to the African Union," said Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, foreign minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara.

 Morocco quit the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1984 after the bloc admitted the former Western Sahara as a separate member.

Some had feared Morocco would demand the expulsion of the SADR as a precondition for its own return to the AU.

Morocco maintains that the former Spanish colony under its control is an integral part of the kingdom, while the Polisario Front, which campaigns for the territory´s independence, demands a referendum on self-determination.

Salek said that having Morocco in the same room would allow the SADR to pressure them into fulfilling their obligations and allowing a referendum in accordance with a 1975 decision by the International Court of Justice.

Delegates attending the summit in the Ethiopian capital described an emotional and tense discussion, with heavyweights like Algeria and South Africa against the re-admission of Morocco.

"Morocco is now a full member of the African Union. There was a very long debate but 39 of our 54 states approved the return of Morocco, even if the Western Sahara question remains," Senegalese President Macky Sall told journalists.

"As we have said, if the family grows bigger, we can find solutions as a family," he added.

Morocco has been angling to return to the AU for several years and King Mohammed VI formally announced his intention to do so in July last year. Since then he has criss-crossed the continent lobbying for support.

Morocco is increasingly looking southwards to expand its economy and has realised it cannot drive an agenda on the continent without being in the AU, observers say.

The membership of affluent Morocco -- the sixth biggest economy in Africa -- could be a boon for the African Union, which lost a key financier in late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi and is working on ways to become financially independent.

The 28th African Union summit began with the swift election of Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat, 56, as the new chairperson of the AU Commission, beating four other candidates.

Faki won in a final battle against his Kenyan counterpart Amina Mohamed after seven rounds of voting, the Kenyan government said in a statement.

Meanwhile Algerian diplomat Smail Chergui was re-elected to the key post of peace and security commissioner.

Faki takes over from South Africa´s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma who is credited with advancing women´s issues and moulding the ambitious Agenda 2063, but is seen to have dropped the ball on peace and security.

The AU is also grappling with its relationship with US President Donald Trump´s administration, sounding the alarm over an immigration ban affecting three African nations.

African Union re-admits Morocco after 33-year absence was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 31, 2017 and was last updated on January 31, 2017. This news story is related to Latest/182890-African-Union-re-admits-Morocco-after-33-year-absence/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "African Union re-admits Morocco after 33-year absence" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/182890-African-Union-re-admits-Morocco-after-33-year-absence.</s>After months of intense lobbying, Morocco has been readmitted as a member of the African Union (AU). The North African country left the organisation after an acrimonious row in which the AU recognised the independence of Western Sahara, which was viewed by Morocco as part of its historic territory.

After the backing of a huge majority of states, Morocco regained its membership within the AU on Monday (30 January). Previously it was the only African country that was not a member of the body.

"There was a very long debate but 39 of our 54 states approved the return of Morocco, even if the Western Sahara question remains," Senegalese President Macky Sall told the media.

Member states decided to leave the question of the disputed territory of Western Sahara for another time, and take Morocco "back in the family," according to AFP.

"From the moment that Morocco did not impose conditions ... we take their word for it and accept that Morocco be admitted to the African Union," said Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, foreign minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which claims sovereignty over the Western Sahara.

Morocco left what was then known as the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1984 after the organisation admitted the former Western Sahara as an independent member.

There were concerns that Morocco would seek the expulsion of the SADR as a condition for returning to the AU.

Summit delegates at the 28th AU summit in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa held a tense and emotional debate. South Africa and Algeria were vehemently opposed to the re-entry of Morocco.

Morocco has been mooting a return to the AU for many years, hoping to enhance its economy and recognising that being a member of the pan-African body would be financially beneficial. For the AU, the return of Morocco, the sixth largest economy in Africa, will be highly profitable.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI, who has been lobbying hard for his country's return, will deliver a speech on Tuesday (31 January) in front of the African leaders in Addis Ababa, according to Morocco World News.

In June 2016, the chair of the summit, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, visited Rabaat, where he received Morocco's highest state decoration.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar has led a concerted diplomatic campaign in recent years, meeting with the presidents of Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Senegal, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and the prime ministers of Libya and Ethiopia to strengthen its economic and diplomatic relations with those nations.</s>ADDIS ABABA: The African Union decided on Monday (Jan 30) to allow Morocco back in the fold after a 33-year absence, despite stiff resistance from some member states over the status of Western Sahara.

After an emotional and tense debate, member states decided by consensus to leave the question of the disputed territory of Western Sahara for another day, and resolve it with Morocco "back in the family."

"From the moment that Morocco did not impose conditions ... we take their word for it and accept that Morocco be admitted to the African Union," said Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, foreign minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara.

Morocco quit the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1984 after the bloc admitted the former Western Sahara as a separate member.

Some had feared Morocco would demand the expulsion of the SADR as a precondition for its own return to the AU.

Morocco maintains that the former Spanish colony under its control is an integral part of the kingdom, while the Polisario Front, which campaigns for the territory's independence, demands a referendum on self-determination.

Salek said that having Morocco in the same room would allow the SADR to pressure them into fulfilling their obligations and allowing a referendum in accordance with a 1975 decision by the International Court of Justice.

"Now (if) Morocco is blocking (it) will be questioned by the head of states: why are you afraid of a referendum? "Why don't you allow the Sahrawi to choose their future freely?"

Delegates attending the summit in the Ethiopian capital described an emotional and tense discussion, with heavyweights like Algeria and South Africa against the re-admission of Morocco.

"Morocco is now a full member of the African Union. There was a very long debate but 39 of our 54 states approved the return of Morocco, even if the Western Sahara question remains," Senegalese President Macky Sall told journalists.

"As we have said, if the family grows bigger, we can find solutions as a family," he added.

Morocco has been angling to return to the AU for several years and King Mohammed VI formally announced his intention to do so in July last year. Since then he has criss-crossed the continent lobbying for support.

Morocco is increasingly looking southwards to expand its economy and has realised it cannot drive an agenda on the continent without being in the AU, observers say.

The membership of affluent Morocco - the sixth biggest economy in Africa - could be a boon for the African Union, which lost a key financier in late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi and is working on ways to become financially independent.

The 28th African Union summit began with the swift election of Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat, 56, as the new chairperson of the AU Commission, beating four other candidates.

Faki won in a final battle against his Kenyan counterpart Amina Mohamed after seven rounds of voting, the Kenyan government said in a statement.

Faki, a former prime minister, has been at the forefront of the fight against Islamists in Nigeria, Mali and the Sahel and has promised "development and security" will be top of his agenda as chief of the 54-member continental bloc.

Meanwhile Algerian diplomat Smail Chergui was re-elected to the key post of peace and security commissioner.

Faki takes over from South Africa's Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma who is credited with advancing women's issues and moulding the ambitious Agenda 2063, but is seen to have dropped the ball on peace and security.

The choice of a new leader is crucial for the future of a bloc which is undergoing deep introspection on how to reform to become more relevant and better respond to crises on the continent.

Tasked with leading the reforms, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame delivered a "biting" report to heads of state on Sunday, according to a statement from the Kenyan government.

He criticised "chronic failure to see through African Union decisions (which) had resulted in a crisis of implementation and a perception that the AU was not relevant to Africans".

Kagame also slammed "over-dependence on (donor) funding" which accounts from 70 per cent of the AU budget, according to the Institute for Security Studies.

The AU is also grappling with its relationship with US President Donald Trump's administration, sounding the alarm over an immigration ban affecting three African nations.

"The very country (where) our people were taken as slaves... has now decided to ban refugees from some of our countries," outgoing AU Commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma told some 37 heads of state and leaders from across the continent.

"It is clear that globally we are entering very turbulent times," she added.</s>Thirty-three years after it broke ranks with the African Union (AU), then known as the Organization for African Unity, Morocco has been readmitted as a member of Africa’s main regional body after a vote at the AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia yesterday (Jan. 30).

Morocco’s readmission means that all African nations are now a part of the AU. “Africa wants to speak in one voice. We need all African countries to be a part of that voice,” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia, said after the vote.

But despite Morocco’s readmission, the dispute which triggered its its exit from the union still remains. In 1984, Morocco left the AU after the body decided to recognize the independence of Western Sahara, also known as Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), and admitted it as a member state. Morocco has long contended the territory is under its control. While most of the territory has been annexed by Morocco since 1975, it has been in involved in a violent conflict with Western Saharan independence movement Polisario Front which insists the territory is a sovereign independent state. Until a ceasefire brokered by the United Nations (UN) in 1991, both parties remained at odds resulting in the displacement of 90,000 people, according to UN’s Refugee Agency.

When Morocco formally requested to be readmitted into the AU last July, it also asked the body to reconsider its stance on recognizing SADR’s independence. With Morocco back in the AU, there are fears it could step its bid to “secure” the region. For its part, SADR has diplomatically accepted Morocco’s readmission. Mohamed Yeslem, foreign minister of SADR, says he hopes the readmission will result in a solution to the territorial dispute through “a referendum” and “a United Nations resolution.” The UN currently does not recognize SADR.

Despite’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s idealistic view of Africa speaking with one voice, Morocco’s readmission was not a smooth-sailing process. As many as 15 of the AU’s 54 member nations, including continental bigwigs Algeria and South Africa, longtime supporters of SADR’s claim of independence, were against readmitting Morocco.

Morocco’s request to rejoin the AU also signals a significant shift in the North African country’s foreign policy. Previously focused on Europe, under King Mohammed VI, Morocco has increasingly looked to the south for more friends. In 2016, King Mohammed VI visited six African countries, including Nigeria and Ethiopia, two of the continent’s leading economies, signing trade deals in a bid to deepen its relationship with those countries as it seeks to establish itself as a more dominant player on the continent.

Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief — the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox.</s>The African Union has readmitted Morocco into the bloc 33 years after its withdrawal over the still existing Western Sahara dispute.

The majority of the AU member states voted for the re-admission of during the 28th summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Monday, leaving the issue of the disputed territory of Western Sahara for another day.

"Morocco is now a full member of the African Union. There was a very long debate but 39 of our 54 states approved the return of Morocco, even if the Western Sahara question remains," Senegalese President Macky Sall told reporters.

"As we have said, if the family grows bigger, we can find solutions as a family," Macky Sall added.

Algeria and South Africa were among the heavyweights that opposed the re-admission of Morocco.

The country withdrew from the AU in 1984, when the mineral-rich and sparsely populated Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), commonly known as Western Sahara, was accepted as a member.

Morocco annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, in 1975. It maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of the kingdom, but the international community has not recognized the annexation.

Western Sahara is home to the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement aiming to end Moroccan presence in the territory.

In 1991, Moroccan forces and Sahrawi rebels agreed on a UN-brokered truce and a referendum to settle the status of Western Sahara. However, the vote has never taken place.

Some had feared Morocco would set the expulsion of the SADR as a precondition for its own return to the AU.

"From the moment that Morocco did not impose conditions ... we take their word for it and accept that Morocco be admitted to the African Union," said SADR Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Salek.

Salek said the re-admission of Morocco will help pressure the authorities into holding a referendum to “allow the Sahrawi to choose their future”.

"Now (if) Morocco is blocking (it) will be questioned by the head of states: why are you afraid of a referendum? Why don't you allow the Sahrawi to choose their future freely?" he said.

Morocco has for several years been trying to return to the body as it reportedly seeks to expand its economy. In July 2016, Moroccan King Mohammed VI officially announced plans to rejoin the African Union.</s>(GIN)—Despite a possible floor fight over the return of Morocco to the African Union, the North African nation this week boasted it had the “unconditional support” of 42 members of the bloc in favor of readmission.

The North African country was readmitted Monday, Jan. 30, after a 33-year absence. Opposition to its readmission was overcome among key AU players including Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria, Kenya and Angola, even as a last minute request for a legal opinion was submitted as to whether the AU could accept a member that is “occupying parts of the territory” of another member, namely the Western Sahara.

Morocco refuses to cede its claim to occupied Western Sahara, maintaining that the former Spanish colony is an integral part of the kingdom, while the Polisario Front, which campaigns for the territory’s independence, demands a referendum on self-determination.

Algeria and South Africa are the major allies of the Polisario Front. After talks with Polisario leader Brahim Ghali last month, South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma said: “It is unfathomable that Western Sahara… still remains colonized.

“We remain committed to continue to walk with the people of Western Sahara until you are free to live in your own land and able to determine your own future.”

Intense lobbying had preceded the decision to readmit Morocco as fears grew among Western Saharans that they might be kicked out of the AU. Last year, 28 AU members signed a petition to expel it, even though the bloc’s treaty doesn’t chart a clear path for removing a member against its will.

Nevertheless, despite “fundamental concerns that have to be taken into account,” the AU’s legal counsel gave the green light to readmission.

Morocco left the AU’s predecessor (the Organization for African Unity) in 1984 protesting the body’s recognition of Western Sahara’s independence.

Working in Morocco’s favor was its affluence—much needed since the death of Moammar Gaddafi, a key financier of the AU.

Now, with Morocco, the AU gains a well-connected member as it seeks to move away from international funding and become more self-reliant in the face of isolationist tendencies in the U.S. and Europe. A close ally of the U.S., Morocco collaborates on the “war on terror” and has supported European Union efforts to stop African migrants from reaching its shores.</s>Addis Ababa, Jan 31 (IANS/MAP) Morocco has been finally re-admitted as the member of the African Union, almost 33 years after it left the bloc over the Western Sahara that the African country regards as its own territory.

The decision to have the country as the 55th member of the African Union is aimed at giving boost to the regional economy as Morocco is an emerging economic and political power in the continent.

The West African kingdom, which was the only country in Africa that was not a member of the continental bloc, was reintergrated during the 28th Summit of the African Union at Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in a ceremony on Monday.

“An overwhelming majority of African countries supported Morocco’s return to the African Union (AU)… Thirty-nine countries voted in favor of Morocco’s return to the AU,” an official statement said.

Morocco in 1984 withdrew from the union because the bloc included Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic — a partially recognised state that lays claim over disputed Western Sahara — the northern African territory bordering Morocco is claimed by the kingdom.

India in August 2016 welcomed the kingdom’s initiative to re-join the African Union. India also seeks investments in the Moroccan market and to reach rest of Africa through the kingdom, a huge market tapped by China.

The Indian policy shift towards Morocco was initiated by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in early 2000s and was carried forward by the current government.

In 1985, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi recognised Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, freezing India’s relation with the western African country.

Morocco is Africa’s third fastest growing reinsurance market and a seat for Rabat on the continental bloc could pave the way and clear the hurdles for its ambitious 4,000-km trans-African gas-pipeline project that starts from Nigeria to Europe.

The kingdom last year formally announced to join the African Union, that holds key to the economic opportunities across the continent. Its decision to rejoin created rift among the rival nations, including Algeria and South Africa.</s>ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The African Union admitted Morocco as a member on Tuesday, more than three decades after Rabat withdrew from the bloc's predecessor over a row about the status of Western Sahara.

Morocco's King Mohammed, who had been campaigning since last year to join, waved to heads of state at the end of a summit in the AU headquarters in Ethiopia's capital.

"Africa is my home and I am coming back home," the king said to applause from African leaders. "I have missed you all."

The North African kingdom quit the AU's predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, after the body recognized Western Sahara, most of which has been controlled by Morocco since 1976.

Western Sahara's Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Salek had earlier said progress on Morocco's admission was a "positive step" since it would put them on an equal diplomatic footing.

Continental heavyweights Algeria and South Africa have been prominent backers of the Sahrawi Republic, the domestic political movement that lays claim to the territory along the northern Sahara’s Atlantic seaboard.</s>Addis Ababa. The African Union decided Monday to allow Morocco back in the fold after a 33-year absence, despite stiff resistance from some member states over the status of Western Sahara.

After an emotional and tense debate, member states decided by consensus to leave the question of the disputed territory of Western Sahara for another day, and resolve it with Morocco “back in the family.”

“From the moment that Morocco did not impose conditions we take their word for it and accept that Morocco be admitted to the African Union,” said Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, foreign minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara.

Morocco quit the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1984 after the bloc admitted the former Western Sahara as a separate member.

Some had feared Morocco would demand the expulsion of the SADR as a precondition for its own return to the AU.

Morocco maintains that the former Spanish colony under its control is an integral part of the kingdom, while the Polisario Front, which campaigns for the territory’s independence, demands a referendum on self-determination.

Salek said that having Morocco in the same room would allow the SADR to pressure them into fulfilling their obligations and allowing a referendum in accordance with a 1975 decision by the International Court of Justice.

“Now (if) Morocco is blocking (it) will be questioned by the head of states: why are you afraid of a referendum? “Why don’t you allow the Sahrawi to choose their future freely?”

Delegates attending the summit in the Ethiopian capital described an emotional and tense discussion, with heavyweights like Algeria and South Africa against the re-admission of Morocco.

“Morocco is now a full member of the African Union. There was a very long debate but 39 of our 54 states approved the return of Morocco, even if the Western Sahara question remains,” Senegalese President Macky Sall told journalists.

“As we have said, if the family grows bigger, we can find solutions as a family,” he added.

Morocco has been angling to return to the AU for several years and King Mohammed VI formally announced his intention to do so in July last year. Since then he has criss-crossed the continent lobbying for support. (AFP)
Morocco rejoins the African Union after a 33-year absence, despite opposition from several member states over the political status of Western Sahara.