Rabat – Gambia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sering Modou Njie reiterated his country’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as a credible plan to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
“This is the position of Gambia and all Gambians. We will continue to promote and stand ready to support the Moroccan autonomy plan. We believe this is a credible plan,” the Gambian minister said today in Rabat.
He made his remarks following his meeting with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, where he reaffirmed his country’s readiness to continue to support the Moroccan initiative.
Gambia has been among the staunch supporters of Morocco’s territorial integrity. The country further reflected this full support and recognition in January 2020, when it opened a general consulate in Morocco’s Dakhla.
Dakhla and Laayoune host over 30 consulates from African, Caribbean, and Arab countries, all of whom have voiced their explicit support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara throughout the years.
For Rabat, the opening of the consulates strengthens the vocation of the region as the African continent’s gateway to Morocco.
The region of Dakhla hosts several representations, including those of Haiti, Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Suriname, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cape Verde, Djibouti, and Burkina Faso.
Laayoune, meanwhile, hosts Jordan, Bahrain, UAE, Burundi, Central Africa, Comores, Malawi, Zambia, Eswatini, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, and Cote d’Ivoire.
Gambia’s reaffirmation comes as Rabat has been witnessing a momentum of support for its sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara, in a stark contrast to Algeria’s hostility, challenging Morocco’s territorial integrity by backing Polisario’s separatism claims.
