New Kenyan President’s Main Rival during Elections Denies Attacking Decision to Withdraw Recognition of So-Called ‘SADR’

Raila Odinga, leader of the Coalition Azimio La Umoja and main rival of William Ruto in the last Kenyan presidential election, denied reports of having attacked the Kenyan president’s decision to revoke recognition of the so-called SADR. “The reports that I attacked the decision of Ruto to review Kenya’s policy on the polisario are wrong,” wrote the former Kenyan Prime Minister on his official twitter account. Odinga, who won 48.85% of the votes in the last presidential election, also stressed the importance of relations between Morocco and Kenya, which he described as “beneficial.” Following the message of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the new President of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto, the Republic of Kenya decided to revoke the recognition of the so-called SADR and begin the steps to close its representation in Nairobi. A joint statement, parts of which were made public by the website of the State House of the Republic of Kenya, following the delivery, Wednesday, of a message from HM the King to the Kenyan head of state, said “out of respect for the principle of territorial integrity and non-interference, Kenya fully supports the serious and credible autonomy plan proposed by the Kingdom of Morocco, as the only solution based on the territorial integrity of Morocco,” to resolve this dispute. “Kenya supports the United Nations framework as the exclusive mechanism to achieve a lasting and permanent political solution to the dispute over the Sahara issue,” the joint statement said.