The political battle promises to be eventful in May within the institutions of the African Union. Morocco is preparing to cross swords with Algeria, which chairs the Peace and Security Council this May. Moroccan diplomacy is keen to keep the thread of dialogue with its allies in Africa. This week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has increased the number of online meetings with several of his counterparts from the continent. On May 4, Nasser Bourita held talks with the Foreign Ministers of Djibouti, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and of Nigeria, Geoffrey Onyeama; on May 5 with that of Malawi, Eisenhower Nduwa Mkaka; on May 6, with that of Gabon, Pacôme Moubelet Boubeya, of Benin, Aurélien A. Agbenonci, and of Zambia, Joseph Malanji. Djibouti, Gabon and Zambia, which recognize Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara and have inaugurated their general consulates in Laayoune or Dakhla, reiterated their support for the position of the Kingdom. Malawi and Benin, for their part, provided support for the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as a solution to the conflict under the auspices of the United Nations as an exclusive and consensual framework to achieve a settlement to the regional dispute. Morocco recalls the primacy of the troika The discussion with Nigerian Geoffrey Onyeama focused on the development of bilateral relations. Nigeria, in the person of its Ambassador, Bankole Adeoye, has been chairing the AU Peace and Security Commission since mid-March. An appointment that Bourita did not fail to welcome. This intense diplomatic activity comes as Algeria will assume during this month of May, the rotating presidency of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (PSC). On Thursday, May 6, its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sabri Boukadoum, discussed the PSC program with the President of the African Union Commission, Chadian Moussa Faki. To avoid a scenario similar to the March 9 meeting of the PSC, then under Kenyan presidency, Morocco is preparing the ground. The press releases from Nasser Bourita's department focus above all on compliance with the provisions of resolution 693 adopted by the Conference of Heads of State of the African Union at the Nouakchott summit in July 2018. A resolution which withdrew the examination of the Western Sahara from the hands of the AU Peace and Security Commission for the benefit of a presidential troika. A decision refused by Algeria and other allies of the Polisario on the continent.
