Tangier – A total of sixteen former African prime ministers and foreign ministers launched, on Friday 4th November 2022, in Tangier, a solemn appeal for the expulsion of the so-called ‘sadr’ from the African Union (AU).
The “Tangier Appeal”, issued at the end of a round-table discussion organized as part of the MEDays Forum (November 2-5), advocates the need to “correct the historical anomaly, legal aberration and political misunderstanding that is the illegal and illegitimate admission, and then the unjustified maintenance within the continental organization of the pseudo-“sadr” and its negative operational impact.
The former African officials who signed the document believe that the accession of the puppet entity to the AU is “in violation of Articles 3(b) and 4(b) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union,” noting that the so-called “rasd” is “an artificial entity imposed on the sole Organization of African Unity/African Union, against all legitimacy and legality.”
According to the document, this artificial entity “does not obey any of the constituent elements of a state, namely a territory, a population and an effective government,” adding that it has no sovereignty, independence, or international legal responsibility.
This puppet entity is “without added value” for the continent, they note, stressing that on the contrary it “hinders the effectiveness of the AU” and “threatens African unity and political and economic integration” of the continent, while “threatening regional stability and security.
In addition, the signatories of this document ask the Amadeus Institute and its African think tanks partners to produce a “White Paper” gathering their analyses and their recommendations, resulting from this round-table as well as from conferences and meetings held previously in several countries of the continent.
This document also establishes a “Contact Group” in charge of carrying the present “Tangier Appeal”, supported by the above-mentioned “White Paper” to the African Heads of State and decision-makers of the African Union.
The Contact Group decided to remain mobilized for “the realization of this objective necessary for the credibility of the AU, thus for the future of the continent.
According to its initiators, the “Tangier Appeal” is inspired by the ideals of the Founding Fathers of Pan-Africanism, promoting unity, solidarity, cohesion and effective economic cooperation among the independent and sovereign states of Africa.
The Appeal salutes and commemorates the “historic work of the Casablanca Group, its Pan-Africanist ideals and the memory of its illustrious host, the late His Majesty King Mohammed V”.
Similarly, the Tangier Appeal “warmly welcomes the solemn return, in January 2017, of the Kingdom of Morocco, a founding member state of the Organization of African Unity, to the African Union and the sustained efforts, commendable initiatives and sincere contributions that the Kingdom has not ceased to make, since then, to the Objectives and Action of our continental organization, under the aegis of the Moroccan Sovereign.”
The Contact Group of the Tangier Appeal is composed of the former Prime Ministers of Djibouti, Dileita Mohamed Dileita, and of the Central African Republic, Martin Ziguélé; and by the former Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Eswatini, Lutfo Dlamini, Liberia, Gbehzohngar Milton Findley, Gabon, Régis Immongault Tatangani, Malawi, Francis Kasaila, Senegal, Mankeur Ndiaye, Guinea, Mamadi Touré, and Kenya, Rafael Tuju.
The “Tangier Appeal” is also supported by several other personalities who are represented by the “Contact Group”. These are: the former Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau, Augusto António Artur da Silva; the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia, Mohamed Abdirizak Mohamud; the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, Alpha Barry; the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Benin, Jean-Marie Ehouzou; the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Comoros, Fahmi Said Ibrahim El Maceli; the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cape Verde, Luis Felipe Lopes Tavares and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Leonard She Okitundu Lundula.
* Please find here bellow the solemn appeal to expel the pseudo « sadr » from the African Union.
SOLEMN APPEAL TO EXPEL THE PSEUDO-“SADR” FROM THE AFRICAN UNION
We, Former African Prime Ministers and former Ministers of ForeignAffairs;
Participating in the 14th edition of the MEDays international forum, held from 2 to 5 November 2022, in Tangier, under the High Patronage of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI and organized by the Amadeus Institute; Partaking, in this context, in the roundtable “The African Union in Light of The Moroccan Sahara Issue”, organized on November 4th, 2022; Inspired by the Ideals of Pan-Africanism’s Founding Fathers, which Promote unity, solidarity, cohesion and efficient economic cooperation between independent and sovereign African countries;
Strongly attached to said noble Ideals and actively endeavouring to materialize them across policies of States and relations among Nations, in the purpose of lending our voice to the Peace, Security, Concord and Unity we deem imperative in our continent; Commending and commemorating the historical work of the Casablanca Group, its Pan-African ideals and the memory of its illustrious Host, His Late Majesty the King Mohammed V; Aligned with the objectives and principles outlined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union in its Articles 3 and 4; Reiterating the necessity to respect the principles of International Law, of Sovereignty and of the Independence of African States; Striving for a strong continent, rid of ideologies from a bygone era that foster division; Guided by the Pan-African sustainable vision of Agenda 2063, namely “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena.”; Aware of the imperative and urgency of continental and regional Economic integration, through an immediate and effective implementation of the African Common Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), whose success relies on the cornerstones of African economic unity: enabled Regional Economic Communities that ensure the free movement of people and goods; Determined to combat any form of extremism, separatism and secessionism; Taking note, with satisfaction, or the credible Pan-African intellectual dynamic, emerged in May 2021in Mauritania which then expanded during the same year to Senegal, Ghana, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo – carried by political, economic and academic figures as well as credible representatives of civil societies from Angola, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia; a dynamic focusing on the incongruous presence of the pseudo-“Sadr” in the African Union and on its regrettable consequences; Raising, in turn, the bitter observation of the presence of a non-state and non-sovereign entity, in the African Union following the bias – more assimilable to a political and ideological coup rather than to a legal and legitimate act – carried out in 1982, in flagrant violation of the Charter of the Organization of African Unity; Recalling that in His Message addressed to the 27th Summit of the African Union, held in Kigali in July 2016, His Majesty the King Mohammed VI formalized Morocco’s desire to reintegrate its natural place within its African family, and that on the same occasion, twenty-eight (28) Heads of Member States personally signed a motion calling for the reintegration of Morocco together with the suspension of the pseudo-“Sadr”; Warmly welcoming the solemn return, in January 2017, of the Kingdom of Morocco, founding member state of the Organization of African Unity, to the African Union and the sustained efforts, commendable initiatives and sincere contributions that the Kingdom has since continued to render to the Objectives and Action of our continental organization, under the aegis of the Moroccan Sovereign; Noting, with interest, that two-thirds of African States do not recognize or no longer recognize the pseudo-“Sadr” and that half of the countries of the continent have, to date, opened Consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla; Advocating the need to correct the historical anomaly, the legal aberration and the political fallacy that is the illegal and illegitimate admission, then the unjustified maintenance within the continental organisation, of the pseudo-“Sadr”, and its negative operational impact; Fully aware of the responsibility that is ours and of the prominence of such a document for the edification of a renewed, uninhibited and assumed Pan-Africanism,
1. Make a Solemn Appeal to expel from the African Union:
a. In contravention to Articles3(b) and 4(b) of the Constitutive Act of the
African Union;
b. An artificial entity imposed upon the OAU/AU against any legitimacy or
legality;
c. An artificial entity which meets none of the State-constituting
elements, namely a territory, a population and an effective government;
d. An artificial entity with no sovereignty nor independence;
e. An artificial entity that holds no international legal responsibility;
f. An artificial entity with no added value that hinders the AU’s efficiency;
g. An artificial entity threatening African Unity and political economic
integration;
h. An artificial entity threatening regional stability and security.
2. Request from the Amadeus Institute and its African partner Think
Thanks to produce a “White Book”, gathering their analyses and their argued recommendations, emanating from this round table as well as from the conferences and meetings previously held in several countries of the continent;
3. Decide to establish a “Contact Group” to bring this “Appeal of Tangier” and the aforementioned “White Book” to African Heads of State and
decision-makers of the African Union. The designated members of the “Contact Group” are:
H.E.M. Dileita Mohamed Dileita, former Prime Minister of Djibouti;
H.E.M. Martin Ziguélé, former Prime Minister of Central African Republic;
H.E.M. Lutfo Dlamini, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Eswatini ;
H.E.M. Gbehzohngar Milton Findley, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia;
H.E.M. Régis Immongault Tatangani, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Gabon;
H.E.M. Francis Kasaila, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malawi;
H.E.M. Mankeur Ndiaye, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Senegal;
H.E.M. Mamadi Touré, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guinea;
H.E.M. Rafael Tuju, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kenya.
4. Decide to remain mobilized for the achievement of this necessary objective for the credibility of the African Union, and therefore for the future of the continent.
Done in Tangier, on November 4th, 2022.
