Tangier: Five New Signatories of Tangier Appeal to Expel So-Called SADR’s from AU

Five new African signatories on Friday joined the “Tangier Appeal” for the expulsion of the so-called “SADR” from the African Union (AU). During a follow-up meeting of the “Tangier Appeal”, held on the sidelines of MEDays Forum, five former African foreign ministers signed this “Appeal”, initiated on November 4, 2022 in Tangier. These are David J. Francis, Urbino Botelho, Ezechiel Nibigira, Albert Mabri Toikeusse and Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, former heads of diplomacy of Sierra Leone, Sao Tome & Principé, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, initiator of regional roundtables on the expulsion of the so-called “SADR” from the African Union. This brings to 23 the number of “Tangier Appeal” signatories since its launch a year ago. On this occasion, “Tangier Appeal” signatories welcomed the continental impact and the momentum generated by this initiative, reiterating their commitment to continue working for “the urgent exclusion” of the so-called “SADR”, a non-State entity, from the African Union. The growing commitment in Africa in favor of the Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara was also welcomed by the signatories, who stressed that the opening of new consulates general in Dakhla and Laâyoune testifies to the vitality of pan-African dialogue and the common desire to overcome divisions, inherited from a bygone era, to build a prosperous future in Africa. The signatories also welcomed Resolution 2703 of the UN Security Council, recognizing that the Sahara conflict can only be settled through a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution, and promoting pragmatism, realism and compromise spirit, which characterizes the Moroccan autonomy plan. They reaffirmed their full support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as the only solution for the definitive settlement of the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara. Welcoming the international support that this plan continues to garner, they called on the African and international community to fully adhere to the Moroccan Autonomy Plan to put an end to this conflict which has lasted too long. “Tangier Appeal” signatories also reiterated their full commitment to achieve the objective of the expulsion of the so-called “SADR” from the African Union, a key prerequisite for the return of impartiality and credibility of the Pan-African Organization on the Moroccan Sahara issue.