Kenya cuts ties with Sahrawi separatists

Kenya’s new president, William RotoHe said Wednesday (September 14th) that the East African country has severed diplomatic ties with the self-declared Sahrawi Arab Republic after talks with Morocco. This break comes just 24 hours after the inauguration of William Ruto, which was attended by the leader of the Polisario Front, Ibrahim Ghali, in Nairobi.

The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, wants an independent state in Western Sahara, a vast area of ​​Sahara that Morocco considers part of its territory. “Kenya revokes its recognition of the SADR and takes steps to limit the presence of this entity in the countryWilliam Ruto said on Twitter after meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

Finding a permanent solution

William Ruto said that Nasser Bourita presented him with a congratulatory message from King Mohammed VI of Morocco, adding that the two countries agreed to improve relations between them.Among others in the fields of commerce, agriculture, health, tourism and energy“.”Kenya supports the UN Framework for Action as the exclusive mechanism for a durable solution to the conflictPresident Ruto said. Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is located at the western end of the vast desert of the same name, which stretches along the Atlantic coast.

The Polisario Front, which proclaimed the Sahrawi Republic in 1976, continues to demand, with Algeria’s support, the holding of a UN-planned referendum at the time of the signing of a ceasefire between the belligerents. in 1991. Since then, 84 United Nations member states have recognized the SADR. But the issue of the prestige of the region is still at a dead end and Morocco has built sand walls topped with barbed wire that still encircle 80% of the region.

Read alsoKenya, the cradle of Elizabeth II’s reign, is cultivated near London

Rabat rejects any vote proposing independence as an option, arguing that for reasons of regional security, only the question of autonomy is on the table. The United Nations, which considers Western Sahara”Non-self-governing territoryIn the absence of a final settlement, deploy a peacekeeping mission there. The African Union recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Republic as one of its members.