In January, the AU decided that its member states should boycott the Crans Montana Forum in occupied Western Sahara last week.
Among those who disregarded the boycott was King Goodwill Zwelithini and senior DA members.
The forum is a Swiss NGO that hosts forums to promote dialogue and has for the past two years defied international public opinion and held the forum in occupied Western Sahara at the behest of the Moroccan king, Mohammed VI.
The AU had urged it to desist from convening its meetings in the occupied city of Dajla in Western Sahara as the event plays into the hands of Morocco’s colonialist policy.
It also lends legitimacy to an illegal and brutal occupation that violates human rights and denies an entire people their inalienable right to self-determination and freedom. Morocco’s human rights abuses in occupied Western Sahara, including the torture of the Sahrawis, are well documented by human rights organisations.
When asked how the DA could disregard the AU boycott, DA international relations spokesperson Stevens Mokgalapa said: “The AU
can’t be taken seriously as it does not take decisions that matter to Africa and whatever it does has no impact on
the continent.”
It would seem the DA has swallowed the Moroccan state's propaganda without having properly engaged the Sahrawis or visited the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf.
It is equally hard to believe that one of the most influential traditional leaders in South Africa was prepared to flout the boycott and lend support and legitimacy to Morocco.
Zwelithini gave an interview to the Moroccan news agency before leaving South Africa, in which he advocated strengthening co-operation between South Africa and Morocco in all areas. It is hard to understand how political figures can be in favour of strengthening relations with a colonial power presiding over a brutal occupation.
In 2015, the AU called the organisation of the forum in occupied Western Sahara a violation of international law. Three years later its position hasn’t changed. Any forum participant cannot plead ignorance of Morocco’s underlying agenda, as they are exposed to Morocco’s blatant propaganda - the promotional material for the forum describes Dajla as part of the Kingdom of Morocco, which is in contravention of international law.
As early as 1975, the International Court of Justice established that there had never existed any tie of territorial sovereignty between Western Sahara and Morocco. Then, in 2002, the UN under-secretary for legal affairs issued an advisory opinion at the request of the UN Security Council in which he reaffirmed unequivocally that Morocco did not exercise any sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Finally, in February this year, the EU Court of Justice handed down a landmark judgment that Western Sahara was not part of Morocco and agreements concluded between the EU and Morocco could not be applicable to the territory of Western Sahara and the waters adjacent to it. This consolidated the court’s ruling of 2016.
Despite the legal rulings, Morocco persists in illegally plundering the natural resources of the occupied territory and claims to have launched infrastructure projects in order to “make the Moroccan Sahara a hub for communication and exchange with sub-Saharan African countries”.
The strategy is clear: Morocco wants to market the territory it is illegally occupying as a bridge to the African continent in order to woo investors and break its diplomatic isolation.
Morocco is trying to use the forum as a platform to discuss issues of interest to Africa such as South-South co-operation and in particular food security, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, public health, migration to Europe, and women’s participation in economic and
political development.
These are priority issue in Africa and Morocco is attempting to portray itself as a progressive continental leader in hosting discussions on the matters. The AU must confront Morocco on its double face and force it to resolve the issue of Western Sahara through an independent UN-sponsored referendum. The continent cannot afford to let Morocco use its financial resources and trade promotion to dilute African solidarity with the Sahrawis.
At a time when many politicians are for sale, we need to ensure that South African political and traditional leaders are aware of the consequences of their political cover so willing given to Morocco.
South Africa must do everything in its power to discourage warm relations with the Kingdom of Morocco until the last colonial outpost is finally liberated.
* Ebrahim is Independent Media's foreign editor.