African Union official: Morocco's return may lead to solution to Western Sahara conflict

The African Union’s Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ismail Chergui, said the return of Morocco to the AU and sitting side by side with the separatist Polisario Front could establish for a quick solution to the conflict in the Western Sahara.

“The African Union Peace and Security Council has taken positions on the Sahara issue and proposed the re-establishment of a presidential commission in an attempt to contribute to solving the Western Sahara issue,” Algeria’s Al-Fajr newspaper reported Chergui as saying yesterday.

Remarking on the situation in Libya, Chergui said the country needs a strong African voice to help the Libyan people overcome their current crisis.

Read: African Union council calls for direct dialogue between Morocco and Polisario

He revealed that the Council is currently preparing for a ministerial mission which will visit Libya in May to contribute to resolving the crisis that has hit Libya since 2011.

“Some European countries want to maintain their influence in Africa, and we do not accept imposing any dictates from abroad in Libya,” he said.