Latest news with #Sahel-Saharan
Maroc
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Maroc
Italian MPs Consider Morocco's Autonomy Plan as Serious, Credible, Realistic Solution to Sahara Issue
Italian parliamentarians said that the autonomy plan put forward by Morocco is a serious, credible and realistic solution that now stands out as a preferred path towards a peaceful settlement of this conflict. Speaking at the 2nd Policy Conference of the Coalition for Autonomy in the Sahara (AUSACO) in Dakhla on Tuesday, MPs Ettore Rosato and Ouidad Bakkali emphasized the growing momentum behind the Moroccan initiative, which continues to garner broadening international support. Rosato and Bakkali—members of the parliamentary intergroup supporting autonomy—called on the international community to take action to help resolve the Sahara issue. They also welcomed the socio-economic development in the Sahara region, which is establishing itself as a hub of peace and stability in the Sahel-Saharan area. AUSACO's central objective is to advocate within political, parliamentary, and academic circles for Morocco's Autonomy Initiative as the sole and definitive solution to the regional dispute. Additionally, Italian parliamentarians hailed the excellent bilateral relations, describing Morocco as an essential partner in addressing the challenges facing the Euro-Mediterranean region. They also highlighted the Kingdom's position as a bridge between Europe and Africa, as well as a gateway to the African continent. The 2nd edition of the AUSACO Policy Conferenc is held in Dakhla on April 29 and 30 under the theme "The New Reality of the Moroccan Sahara: A Pathway for a Revisited UN Approach in an Ever-Changing Geopolitical context." MAP: 29 avril 2025
Daily Maverick
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Diplomatic crisis between Algeria and Alliance of Sahel States calls for swift African Union mediation
The latest tensions are a wake-up call for the African Union, which has lost influence in the Sahel-Saharan region. The current diplomatic crisis between Algeria and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) presents recently elected African Union Commission leaders with an opportunity to mediate and regain the organisation's standing in a region crucial to Africa's security. The dispute originates from a clash between Algeria and Mali over the destruction of a Malian drone by Algeria's army on 1 April on the border at Tinzaouaten. Algeria says the drone crossed its border; Mali says the aircraft was in its own territory. Diplomatic relations between the two, which date back to 1960, have often been turbulen t due to the issue of northern Mali's successive separatist movements. However, this is the first time that Mali has denounced Algeria's military aggression and referred the matter to the United Nations Security Council. Algeria and the AES countries The crisis has also taken on a regional dimension, given the political, diplomatic and military alliance formed by the AES Confederation (comprising Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali). Niger and Burkina Faso have shown their solidarity with Mali by recalling their ambassadors to Algiers, as has Mali. Mali and Niger have also withdrawn from the Comité d'Etat-Major Opérationnel Conjoint (Cemoc), which had brought them together with Algeria and Mauritania's military forces. Cemoc has not been very active since its creation in 2010, but it provided some security coordination and a useful cooperation framework, with Algeria especially providing training support. The vast stretches of desert comprising these countries' border regions are prime transit routes for arms, drugs and migrants. These areas are largely unsupervised, especially by Mali and Niger's security forces, making them sanctuaries for armed bandits, terrorists or separatist groups. Given that Algeria's military capabilities are unrivalled in the region, the risk of armed conflict seems minimal at this stage. Nevertheless, the interstate tensions could destabilise the buffer zone between the Maghreb and west Africa – an area already weakened by Libya's civil war and neighbouring countries' insecurity. This new crisis should be a wake-up call for the AU. The withdrawal of AES countries from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) in January means that the regional bloc lacks the legal standing and legitimacy to mediate the crisis. This poses an unprecedented challenge to the AU's peace and security architecture and subsidiarity principle, which relies on regional bodies like Ecowas to initiate conflict prevention actions. The AU must use the appropriate channels to rapidly re-establish dialogue and pave the way for a return to constructive relations between Algeria and the AES countries. Its Peace and Security Council should focus on the northern Mali issue, which is at the root of the dispute between Algiers and Bamako. Mali has accused Algeria in recent months of serving as a rear base for the separatist Front de Liberation de l'Azawad (FLA), after hostilities between the group and Bamako resumed when the government recaptured Kidal in November 2023. Shortly thereafter, Malian authorities ended the 2015 Algiers Accord, which had failed to bring peace with the separatists. Fighting resumed, with northern Mali's Tinzaouaten region becoming the flashpoint of the conflict. In July 2024, Mali's army, backed by Russia's Africa Corps, suffered heavy losses when they were ambushed by the rebels. The current environment presents an opportunity for the AU to regain influence in the Sahel. The organisation has been sidelined over the years for numerous reasons. One is its competition with Ecowas for leadership in managing the 2012-13 Malian crisis, which ultimately led to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali's (Minusma) African contingents being placed under UN control. The AU was also marginalised by France's activism in the Sahel and backing of the G5 Sahel as an alternative to the AU's Nouakchott Process launched in 2013. The initiative aimed to strengthen security and counterterrorism coordination between Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal. Successful mediation between Algeria and the AES countries could even help to revitalise this process down the line. The AU is now well placed to fill the leadership vacuum left by the withdrawal of Western powers and Minusma, the disintegration of the G5 Sahel, including its Joint Force, and the sidelining of Ecowas. The AU should seek to achieve three objectives. First, bring Algeria and the AES Confederation together through mediation. Second, promote a new wholly African political solution to the northern Mali crisis. And third, relaunch continental efforts to combat terrorism by revitalising the Nouakchott Process at a later date. There are several assets the AU can use to achieve these aims. It could leverage Angola and South Africa 's excellent historical relations with both Mali and Algeria. Likewise, the AU Commission's new chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has many contacts in African diplomatic circles. Countries like Mauritania – a Cemoc member that has cordial relations with the AES countries – and Chad, with its ties to both parties could also help. Outside the continent, the AU could informally approach Russia to facilitate. Moscow has long-standing diplomatic relations with Mali and Algeria, and is the AES countries' main military partner. It is also a strategic partner of Algeria – the third-largest importer of Russian weapons globally, and the largest in Africa. However, to succeed, the AU's new leadership must assess the political and security threats facing west Africa, and reposition itself at the centre of responses. While the conflicts in Somalia, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are also emergencies, the Sahel cannot wait. The AU should rethink its wait-and-see attitude of recent years, a posture illustrated by the vacancy of the position of high representative and head of the AU Mission for Mali and the Sahel (Misahel) since August 2023. Beyond the current crisis, the new AU Commission chair should appoint a high representative and bolster Misahel's mandate to provide it with the means and flexibility to operate effectively and constructively in a volatile geopolitical environment. DM
Ya Biladi
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Spanish Civil Guard Intelligence head visits Morocco to strengthen security cooperation
The Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, received Brigadier General Luis Peláez Piñeiro, head of intelligence at the Spanish Civil Guard, accompanied by a high-level security delegation, in Rabat on Wednesday. This visit is of particular significance as it marks the first foreign visit by this senior Spanish security official since his appointment, according to a DGSN-DGST press release. The choice of Morocco for this initial trip underscores the strength of the strategic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the fight against terrorism and cross-border organized crime. Discussions between the two leaders focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation mechanisms in the security field and strengthening the partnership between the two nations to ensure coordinated efforts in addressing security challenges linked to their shared regional neighborhood and terrorist threats in global conflict zones, particularly the Sahel-Saharan region. The talks also covered the various joint security operations between Morocco and Spain, which have proven successful and effective in neutralizing security threats at both regional and international levels. Additionally, discussions included mechanisms for coordinating and consolidating efforts to ensure the success of the 2030 World Cup, to be hosted by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, particularly in terms of mitigating risks and threats to public safety. This meeting underscores the paramount importance of Moroccan-Spanish bilateral cooperation in the security field, representing a model of effective and regular collaboration in the fight against terrorism, extremism, and irregular migration. It also reflects the two countries' firm commitment to coordination and proactive measures in addressing various emerging threats and dangers.
