Western Sahara: Is South Africa Collaborating with Algeria to Undermine U.S. Interests?
A new discourse is emerging on Western Sahara since the Smara attack.
In Washington think tanks, concerns have been raised that Algeria and South Africa are undermining U.S. national security and foreign policy interests by “coordinating their positions” on Western Sahara.
In a recent correspondence, a foreign official who works on South African foreign policy suggests that these concerns about the diplomatic activities of two of the main sponsors of the Polisario Front are unfounded.
Although “South Africa enjoys a cordial bilateral relationship with Algeria which are grounded by common history and values of the liberation struggle against colonialism and Apartheid,” the official stresses that “there is no deliberate plotting, conspiring or coordination between the South African and Algerian governments on foreign positions taken by South Africa.”
According to the official, the Government of South Africa “does not need to coordinate with Algeria to support the struggle of the Saharawi people who have been occupied and colonized by Morocco.”
The official notes that the Government of South Africa is almost certainly “aware of influence activities of Morocco supported by Israel and other western entities to delegitimize the struggle of the Saharawi people and perpetuate the status quo of occupation and colonization.”
The official advises that “South Africa frowns at the attempts to delegitimize the struggle of the Saharawi people and will continue to unite AU behind the oppressed Saharawi people despite the efforts of Morocco to bribe some of the vulnerable and compromised Africa leaders.”
The official cautions against the further proliferation of concerns that the Government of South Africa is undermining U.S. national security and foreign policy interests in Western Sahara.
On the official’s account, “The attempts to delegitimize the struggles of the Sahrawi people are a serious threat to the unity of Africa and to the security of the region and should be rejected.”
Image Credit: Sodiwane via Wikipedia
