TALKING POINT : Morocco offers lessons for regional integration in Africa

Having written a great deal about regional integration in the Gulf, I have realised that a lot of people miss facts on a few other countries in that region.

Beyond the dispute between Qatar and its neighbours that I have been discussing, there is another international stalemate between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Sahrawi. This has existed for decades without a solution but efforts are underway for the conduct of diplomatic talks and a referendum as a way out of it.

For the processes to succeed, Africa must collaborate with the United Nations in the course of finding lasting peace for the West African region. Only recently, the Economic Community of Western African States was able to see off Yahya Jammeh after he lost the presidency in the Gambia. This set a record in having regional communities demonstrate meaning in the manner that Ecowas did.

There has been another issue facing the sub-region involving Morocco and Western Sahara. The Kingdom of Morocco has had a mixed history of international relations generally and diplomatic rapport with her neighbours in particular.

Starting with its withdrawal from the African Union, then known as the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), Morocco has a record of being internally united and internationally firm. The country’s withdrawal from the OAU on November 12, 1984 was justifiable given the fact that the continental body had decided to recognise and admit Sahrawi in 1982.

The main issue for Morocco has been the fact that the scientific principles of secession and/or annexation were violated in the case of recognising and admitting Sahrawi. On the positive side, the United Nations, of which Morocco remained a member and maintained a permanent Mission since independence, was keen to follow the rules of procedure before recognising a territory’s sovereignty.

Taking the case of the newest nation in the world, a referendum had to be exercised for the people of Sudan to decide whether or not South Sudan can be given independence. Likewise, the people of Morocco and Western Sahara can undergo the same processes of deciding on the future of their land.

Morocco has been a UN member since November 12, 1956. On the other hand, Sahrawi, which is a former Spanish colony, has a disputed territory status with the United Nations and is only recognised as a non-self governing territory.

Despite delayed recognition of Morocco’s reign over Sahrawi, there is increasing international support and recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory as part of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Hence to diplomatically and politically resolve the ongoing sovereignty issue, two things should happen: first, dialogue should take place to be followed by a referendum for the people to decide on their identity. The good news is that the UN is in the process of setting the process in motion through the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (Minurso).

There are also ongoing talks between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front, which the UN is moderating. Polisario, which is also known as Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el-Hamra and Rio de Oro, claims sovereignty over Western Sahara since its disputed independence in 1975. The bad news is that the media in Africa and globally is sound asleep on these developments in the Maghreb.

For now, a significant part of Western Sahara, especially in the south, remains part of Morocco since the Madrid agreements of 1975. One wonders how the AU in its previous version could have proceeded with recognising the territorial sovereignty of Western Sahara the way it did. Thanks to the United Nations, a consensual deal may soon be reached.

A constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament, Morocco is governed by a king, namely Mohammed VI (pictured), who is also the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Underneath the king, there is Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani, who oversees the day-to-day government operations. In terms of international relations, Morocco is a member of a number of organisations, including the United Nations, Arab League, Union of the Mediterranean and AU.

Surprisingly, not much is known in Africa south of the Sahara about the Gulf and Maghreb regions. How many people in Tanzania, for instance, are aware that Moroccan statehood dates as far back as 789 during the reign of King Idrisid and that the famous Atlas Mountains are actually situated in Morocco? The stalemate in the Maghreb and how it has been dealt with should be a lesson to regional communities all over Africa.