Algeria Criticizes African Union Over Polisario Front Exclusion from International Summits

The Polisario Front was not invited by the great powers to participate in their meetings with the African Union, such as the Italy-Africa summit, the India-Africa summit, the Russia-Africa summit, the China-Africa summit, the Arab League and African Union summit, as well as the Korea-Africa and Japan-Africa summits. This has provoked the annoyance of Algeria, the protector of the Polisario, which severely criticized the African Union (AU) during the 45th session of the Executive Council of the AU in Accra. "Where are we with regard to all these principles when 55 States are invited to meet with a single country? Where are we with regard to all these principles when the host country unilaterally determines the outcomes of the meeting without consulting its African guests? And where are we with regard to all these principles when we are treated as beneficiaries with no other choice but to accept what the donors decide?" questioned the Algerian Foreign Minister.

Ahmed Attaf criticized "the will of some to consecrate the policy of exclusion, or rather the exclusion of a founding member of our organization by preventing its participation in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development-TICAD," in reference to Morocco. He also demanded "respect for the sovereignty and dignity of African States" and called for "adopting a new strategic vision for the partnership that links the African Union to various international actors." He also expressed his regret at the impasse encountered by the draft policy and strategic framework project, "a project which, if successful, would organize the partnerships that the African Union has established with different international actors, whether individual states or regional groupings".