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. 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. 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 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. “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. 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). 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". 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.
Morocco rejoins the African Union after a 33-year absence, despite opposition from several member states over the political status of Western Sahara.