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Rabat – Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has again questioned Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
On Thursday, January 23, the president reiterated his country’s support for the Polisario Front’s independence claims.
In a statement to Algerian press, Tebboune said: “We said and we will repeat this, no matter the amount of insults and pressure we receive, the issue of Western Sahara is an issue of decolonization.”
The latest statement comes as no surprise. Tebboune has been clear that his cabinet’s position on the conflict remains in line with the country’s traditional agenda.
Earlier this month, on January 12, the Algerian president stated Algeria’s full support for the Polisario Front.
The support came in a congratulatory letter to the leader of the breakaway group, Ibrahim Ghali, following his re-election as Secretary-General of the Polisario.
Algeria’ government also released a series of statements to dismiss Morocco’s diplomatic achievements in Western Sahara.
Six countries have opened general consulates in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla, reflecting their support for Morocco’s territorial integrity
Algeria and the Polisario Front, however, dismiss the decision to open the consulates as “unilateral decisions,” and question the legality of the diplomatic missions.
“These unilateral acts also represent a serious attack on the principle of solidarity which must prevail between the founding countries of the African Union,” the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, commenting on the consulates opened by Gabon and Guinea.
Morocco’s government expressed satisfaction with the opening of diplomatic missions in the region.
The opening of general consulates in the region is of “ great significance [as it answers] the question of the Moroccaness of the Sahara,” Moroccan Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita said last week.
