Kenya ends diplomatic ties with the contested Sahrawi to please Morocco
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By Gerro Biko GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 15-09-2022, 01:23PM
NAIROBI, Kenya - The President of Kenya Dr. William Ruto has ended diplomatic ties with the contested Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in Western Sahara.
This comes after he held talks with Morrocan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at State House Nairobi on Wednesday.
The president cited that Kenya would wind up the mission of the SADR in Nairobi and back in Morocco. According to the State House Twitter Account “At State House in Nairobi, I received a congratulatory message from His Majesty King Mohammed VI. Kenya rescinds its recognition of the SADR and initiates steps to wind down the entity’s presence in the country.”
Mr. Peter Kagwanja –A Nairobi-based Foreign Affairs Policy Expert term the move by the new president as one that seeks to redefine Kenya’s foreign affairs policy which is likely to be influenced more by economic and trade re-alignment as opposed to just relations with no economic benefit.
“Remember this administration has inherited a weak economy and they need quick solutions that will help drive the economic growth as well as cushion farmers against the high cost of agricultural inputs like fertilizer. And who can offer that cheap and reliable fertilizer? It's the Kingdom of Morocco and of course, no one wants to do business with Kenya when you are recognizing his enemies. I think this is something his kitchen cabinet and especially Ababu Namwaba must have drafted as part of his foreign policy that seeks to have economic benefits.”
This comes just a day after Sahrawi President Brahim Ghali was among the 20 heads of state that attended Ruto’s inauguration in Nairobi and was recognized as part of the dignitaries.
The President had earlier announced cheaper fertilizer would be arriving on the shores before the end of September and perhaps the source of it might be from Morocco.
African Union has recognized Sahrawi pursue its self-determination through a referendum and this has created friction between the continental body.
In 1982 when the then Organization of African Unity [OAU] allowed SADR to have a seat, a thing that made Morocco withdraw from the OAU until 2017 when they resume as members of the African Union.
This now means that Kenya has joined hands with the US in supporting Morocco’s stand against SADR.
Dr. Ruto’s predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta chose to strengthen its embassy in Algeria, aligning Kenya’s support for SADR, while it retained only a consul in Rabat.
Mr. Kagwanja adds that “In diplomatic terms, this clearly shows that Kenya will soon establish a full mission in Rabat-Morocco.”
SADR territory has been claimed by Morocco since 1975. Kenya on the other hand has argued the boundaries of Western Sahara as vacated by the Spanish colonialists should be left unchanged.
Initially occupied by the Spanish, Western Sahara was claimed by both Mauritania and Morocco. Mauritania later left, leaving Rabat to call the region its Southern Provinces of territory.
In 1979, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution A / RES / 34/37, which provided “the unequal rights of Western Sahara people in their own discretion and liberty, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the Charter of the Organisation of the African Unity and the purposes of the General Assembly.”
GAROWE ONLINE
