Rabat – Joining other African countries, the Central African Republic, Burundi, and Equatorial Guinea have all regretted Morocco’s absence from the 8th edition of the Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (TICAD), which was held over the weekend in Tunis.
As a result of Tunisia’s abrupt abandonment of its decades-old neutrality in the Western Sahara dispute by inviting the Polisario leader Brahim Ghali to the TICAD, Morocco decided to boycott the conference, escalating tensions between the two neighboring countries.
“The Central African Republic supports the statement of President Macky Sall, Chairman-in-Office of the African Union regarding the absence of Morocco and the failure to comply with the rules established for participation in this Summit,” said the country’s President Faustin Archange Touadera at the conference.
Macky Sall, President of Senegal and current Chairman of the African Union, had expressed regret that Morocco, “a prominent member of the African Union,” was not present at TICAD.
The Senegalese president also urged Rabat and Tunis to work toward finding “a lasting solution in the future for the smooth running of our organization and our partnership in a serene and peaceful way.”
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Also expressing regret over Morocco’s absence from the TICAD summit was Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye.
“We regret the absence of the Kingdom of Morocco from TICAD due to the lack of consensus during the negotiations that preceded these meetings,” Ndayishimiye said during a plenary session on peace and security at TICAD.
“Our most fervent wish from Burundi is to avoid such divisions in future sessions,” he added, recalling that TICAD’s goal is to have their visions and approaches operating in unison for the sake of worldwide solidarity.
Equatorial Guinea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Simeon Oyono Esono also expressed his country’s regret for Morocco’s absence at the conference.
“We regret the absence of the Kingdom of Morocco, a country of particular importance, from TICAD,” Oyono Esono said, adding that he hopes Rabat and Tunis can find a long-term solution to the crisis.
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These positions are consistent with those of other African countries, which have condemned Tunisia’s unilateral invitation of the separatist entity, opposed Japan’s recommendation and in breach of the planning process and established procedures.
Morocco chose not to attend the TICAD Summit and to promptly recall its ambassador to Tunisia for consultations.
Even as it sought to dismiss Morocco’s surprising reaction to President Kais Saeid’s invitation to and hosting of the Polisario leader, the Tunisian Foreign Affairs ministry also withdrew Tunisia’s ambassador from Rabat.
Amid escalating diplomatic tensions between the North African countries, many in Tunisia have also joined in slamming President Saied for hosting the leader of the separatist Polisario Front.
Critics of the Tunisian president’s move have notably lamented what they have described as a dangerously unprecedented and “politically stupid” decision to end Tunisia’s long-standing “constructive neutrality” on the Western Sahara dispute.
