Another West-African nation comes out in support of Morocco.
Rabat – The government of Togo today expressed its support for Morocco after the recent tensions in Guerguerat in Morocco’s southern provinces. Togo’s foreign ministry sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad to announce its position on the matter.
The Togolese ministry in Lome announced that Togo supports the “right of Morocco to defend its sovereignty and its territorial integrity” after a weeks-long blockade of Morocco’s only road to its southern neighbor Mauritania forced the country to act.
The blockade at the Guerguerat border crossing ground to a halt the vital trade in fruits and vegetables between the two nations, which had caused a large increase in prices in Mauritania. The Algerian-backed Polisario militia framed the lifting of the blockade as an act of aggression, after which the group declared the 29-year-old ceasefire to be “dead and buried.”
The letter from Togo’s government confirmed that it supports Morocco’s restoration of the free movement of goods and people across the border between Mauritania and Morocco.
The Togolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad called on “all actors involved” to respect the diplomatic process of dialogue and consultation to resolve the issue in line with relevant UN resolutions.
The country urged respect for the UN resolutions that guide the UN-led process to resolve the Western Sahara dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front.
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Togo furthermore welcomed its cooperative relations with Morocco.
Togo joins a large group of West-African countries that have expressed support for Morocco’s operation to restore the freedom of goods and services on its southern border with Mauritania. It appears that Polisario forces blockading the border hoped to trigger a confrontation to renew attention for the conflict, yet Morocco’s UN-monitored operation avoided a violent clash.
Multiple states have since announced their intention to open diplomatic Multiple states have since announced their intention to open diplomatic offices in Morocco’s southern provinces as symbols of their unwavering support on the issue.
Countries from around the world have rallied around Morocco and its continued insistence to respect the UN process, which includes adherence to the 1991 ceasefire that brought peace to the region.
Togo now joins this long list of supportive nations and is likely not the last to express support for Morocco’s operation as well as the right to defend its territorial integrity.
