On the occasion of Africa Day, Grace Njapau Efrati, former Deputy Minister of the Interior and Zambian MP, highlighted the contribution of Morocco to the progress of the Continent, thanks to the forward-looking vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
Speaking at the “Sahara Debate” program, which was broadcasted on social media, the Zambian official noted that reaching a final solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue will promote regional integration. She thus invited African States to put aside ideologies and dogmas inherited from the Cold War era, and to support the UN political process.
Grace Njapau stressed that the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative is the only possible solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, noting that this proposition meets the parameters set out by the Security Council in its resolution 2494, which calls for a realistic, pragmatic, lasting and compromise-based political solution. She thus called on all parties to engage in the political process to move towards a political solution based on the Moroccan Autonomy Plan. For the Zambian official, the coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity to rethink the place of the ideals of Pan-African construction in today’s world.
The Zambian official recalled on this occasion the leading role played by Morocco for the decolonization of African countries, in particular through its direct support for the national liberation movements in the continent.
She also mentioned Morocco’s return to the African Union, noting in this regard the importance of the experience of the Kingdom in several key areas, including migration, sustainable development, the fight against violent extremism and climate change. “In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, His Majesty the King launched an Initiative aimed at creating an operational framework to provide support to African countries in the management of the pandemic”, she pointed out.
Sixty years later, the Kingdom’s attachment to its Continent is still as intense. Grace Njapau thus recalled with emotion the Historical Speech delivered by His Majesty King Mohammed VI during the 28th Summit of the African Union, marking the return of Morocco to its institutional family.
Contrary to the false allegations propagated, drum beating for weeks, by Algeria and the “polisario”, the return of Morocco to the African Union does not mean any recognition of the pseudo “rasd”, a fictitious entity which does not present the constituent elements of a State. The recognition of a State is an eminently sovereign unilateral act. The participation of a State in the work of an international or regional organization in the presence of an unrecognized entity cannot therefore mean any recognition of the latter.
In addition, 165 United Nations member states do not recognize the pseudo “rasd”, a fictitious entity created, financed and armed by Algeria, which has also delegated to it the management of a part of its territory. Since the year 2000, 44 countries which have recognized this fictitious entity have withdrawn their recognition. Today, only a handful of countries still recognize this entity created from scratch by Algeria.
Grace Njapau, the National Coordinator of the Morocco-Zambia Friendship Group, spoke as part of the citizen program “Sahara Debate”, which aims to be a democratic and open platform for dispassionate and serene analysis on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara. (End)