Did the African Union pass a resolution on the use of military force against any state that occupies an another African country ? Algerian media and those close to the Polisario Front have claimed that the African Union ratified during the third extraordinary meeting of its technical committee, held on January 30, a decision that would supposedly be hostile to Morocco. Speaking to the Algerian news agency, and relayed by the Polisario news agency SPS, the president of the delegation of the separatist movement said that the defense ministers of the African Union «have unanimously agreed on the use of military force against any state that occupies another state in Africa». «They also stressed the need for African countries to respect the borders inherited following independence. This «was another setback for the expansionist ambitions of the Kingdom of Morocco in the region», he said. However, the statement of the Polisario official is far from being true. The website of the African Union makes no mention of these claims. The press release issued on the January 30 meeting does not speak of the alleged «resolution» mentioned by the Polisario and the APS. It should be noted that the 3rd extraordinary session of the AU's Specialized Technical Committee on Defense, Safety and Security was devoted to the adoption of the doctrine on «Peace Support Operations (PSO)» of the continental organization. The Front wants at all costs to involve the AU in its war against Morocco Thus, the participants asked «to consider a comprehensive review of the AU Doctrine on PSO every 10 years to ascertain progress made in its implementation as well as to facilitate its alignment towards addressing new and emerging conflict situations», reads the document. The Declaration also addressed the creation of the «African standby force». The FAA is an international, continental and multidisciplinary peacekeeping force with military, police and civilian contingents that acts under the direction of the African Union. Yet another fake information which highlights the Polisario's obsession with involving AU countries in its war against Morocco. In October, the Polisario's «Minister of Foreign Affairs» announced that «faced with Moroccan obstruction and the inability of MINURSO to impose on the Moroccan occupation the respect of its commitments signed in the settlement plan», its movement would «resort to the use of the right of self-defense by concluding mutual defense agreements, a right recognized by international law and the founding charter of the African Union».
