Asgraf AboArafe
In recent times, Mauritanian voices and calls have arisen calling for “the necessity of reviewing the Mauritanian position on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara,” given the changes in the file during the recent period with the increasing international recognition of the Moroccan Sahara, and also in view of the political, security and economic cost of the file on the Mauritanian shoulders, which floated up On the surface, since the sect of separatists sought to close the Guerguerat crossing before the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces intervened to open it.
In this context, the “Al-Awasir Forum for Dialogue” headed by the journalist Abeid Ould Imegen, on Saturday 22 May 2021, organized an intellectual symposium on “the security reality, political stability and geostrategic challenges in the African continent, and the issue of the Sahara”, with the participation of academics, intellectuals and experts who called for :
Reviewing the Mauritanian position on the Sahara issue in a manner that serves the interests of Mauritania and the interests of the region in general, with an invitation as well to review the Mauritanian recognition of the Sahara. On this basis, the participants in this seminar stressed:
That the Mauritanian position on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara must take into account the service of Mauritanian interests and the interests of the region in general; considering the Moroccan Sahara issue as one of the most important issues that have faced the African Union since its inception.
The ambiguity that characterized the role of the African Union, without having ambitions to end the conflict over the possession of the Sahara, despite the realistic offers made by Morocco; callingon the Mauritanian government to reconsider the “strange recognition”, given its security, political and economic costs; emphasizing that Mauritania’s relationship with Morocco is much more important and has stronger returns for the state than its relationship with a fictitious entity.
The centrality of the Moroccan Sahara issue to Mauritania as “a strategic issue primarily in the security field.”
Mauritania’s recognition of the Sahara as an (independent state) is not sacred, but rather a political act necessitated by certain circumstances.
This shows the voice of the wisdom of the Mauritanian elites, whose discussions focus on the need to advance the path of strengthening relations with Morocco and supporting it in order to build its territorial integrity, as well as the importance of this position in achieving economic integration and development integration in the Maghreb region as a whole. The fact that the separatist elements cut the road between the two brotherly countries and the negative repercussions that resulted from this step and its effects on the freedom of international trade exposed the “Polisario” and its isolation.
