The WSJ’s publication has caused frustration among Polisario leaders and their supporters.
Rabat – The Wall Street Journal’s report, analyzing Washington’s position on Western Sahara, has resulted in wide international media coverage.
Tanzanian newspaper Daily News has commented that the position of the US administration will be a great disappointment for Polisario’s leadership.
The newspaper explained that, according to the WSJ report, the US has made it clear that it will not support the establishment of a new state in southern Morocco
The Tanzanian paper also extolled Morocco’s huge efforts to boost the development of its southern provinces, including in the city of Laayoune.
The “official” news agency of the Polisario Front has claimed that the author of the WSJ publication, Dion Nissenbaum, relied exclusively on his conversation with the Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister, Nasser Bourita to inform his article.
However, the publication clearly stated that “officials involved in the talks said the U.S. has made it clear that Washington won’t support a plan that leads to a new African nation.”
Several other African news outlets widely shared the WSJ’s report, including Le Journal du Cameroun.
The news outlet reported that Trump’s administration said that it is aware of the situation in the Sahel and the Sahara.
“Aware of the dangers posed by Polisario, the White House is determined to put an end to this conflict” Le Journal du Cameroun said referring to the WSJ report.
Africa Press said that any attempt to “derail the UN process could cause discontent and destabilize one of the most stable regions on the planet.”
Read Also: Washington Won’t Support Creation of State in Southern Morocco: WSJ
The WSJ mentioned in its report, published on August 11 the approach adopted by John Bolton, who seeks to end the mission of the peacekeeping operation in Western Sahara, otherwise known as MINURSO.
WSJ used a statement from an interview with Bourita, who argued that MINURSO’s presence in the region is necessary to keep the region safe from terror threat.
“Is the danger to the U.S. from 230 people from MINURSO or…. the fact that the Islamic State and al Qaeda are able to attract people from Indonesia, from Casablanca and elsewhere?” Bourita said.
In addition to the report, the Wall Street Journal also published a video in which its national security reporter Dion Nissenbaum spoke about his recent visit to the region.
Aware that no Western reporters have been allowed in the area, the reporter said that he was invited by the Moroccan government to discover how the North African country is seeking to end the conflict.
Nissenbaum said that, while the Polisario and separatist activists want independence, the US and Morocco don’t see that as a possibility.
“A new state in Africa could in fact be more insecure,” he said.
