Rabat – Gambia officially opened its General Consulate in the Moroccan southern city of Dakhla in Western Sahara on Tuesday, January 7.
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mamadou Tangara chaired the opening ceremony with his Gambian counterpart Mamadou Tangara in the presence of several officials from both Rabat and Banjul, the capital of Gambia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the news today, sharing photos from the ceremony.
The Gambian government pledged to open the consulate in Dakhla during Tangara’s visit in Rabat on December 12.
He also reiterated his country’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.
“We will work together to give concrete substance to the visions of our two heads of state,” added Tangara.
The opening of the consulate in Dakhla comes a few weeks after the Comoros opened its consulate in Laayoune in December 2019.
The country also promised to open an embassy in the country.
In June, Cote d’Ivoire also inaugurated an honorary consulate in Laayoune.
The launch of diplomatic missions in the region comes in recognition of the country’s full support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and its sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Morocco considers both Laayoune and Dakhla part of Morocco’s territory, viewing any move against its sovereignty in the region as hostility against its territorial integrity.
For Morocco, the opening of consulates will “strengthen the vocation of the region as the gateway to Morocco on the African continent,” according to Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“The opening of the consulate is an event of great significance [as it answers] the question of the Moroccaness of [the Western] Sahara,” said Bourita during the opening of Comoros’ consulate in Laayoune.
In response to the inauguration, Polisario and its main supporter, Algeria condemned the launch of foreign diplomatic missions in the region.
“This measure of exceptional gravity represents a flagrant violation of the norms of international law… It represents an attack on the rules and principles that should govern inter-African relations,” said the Algerian Foreign Ministry
