Relations between Morocco and Angola have been evolving on a positive trajectory for years. Since the two meetings between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and Angolan President João Lourenço, in November 2017 in Abidjan and in April 2018 in Brazzaville, the two countries have constantly reaffirmed their desire to strengthen their bilateral relations. A desire that was reiterated recently during the visit of the itinerant ambassador of the Republic of Angola Bernardo Mbala Dombele to Rabat.
The visit to Morocco, on May 6, of the itinerant ambassador of the Republic of Angola, Mr. Bernardo Mbala Dombele, probably heralds a positive and qualitative development in relations between the Kingdom and Angola, a very important country in terms of of southern Africa, the last in Africa to have regained its independence from Portugal in 1975. In recent years, positive albeit timorous signals have been sent by this country, known for its positions rather aligned with those of South Africa concerning the territorial integrity of Morocco. But obviously, the changing global geopolitics, as well as Morocco’s leading role on the continental scale and its commitment to the emergence of Africa, are challenging many received ideas and outdated creeds. Elsewhere, during his visit to Morocco, where Nasser Bourita delivered a message addressed by the Angolan President to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Angolan President’s envoy stressed the need to strengthen the relations of friendship that bind the Angola and Morocco.
Are we witnessing the beginnings of a reversal of Luanda’s position with regard to the Moroccan Sahara?
Here is what the professor of International Relations at the University Mohammed V in Rabat, Mohammed Zakaria Abouddahab thinks. To begin with, Mr. Abouddahab, in a statement to Le Matin, wishes to recall that Morocco supported Angola during its years of struggle for independence. “However, Angola has taken, in the past, a hostile position with regard to the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, even going so far as to recognize the so-called “RASD”. This was due to an erroneous interpretation of history and, in particular, of Morocco’s role in supporting African national liberation movements, such as the South African ANC (African National Congress) or the MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of ‘Angola)”, recalls the professor of International Relations. “The confusion was therefore considerable and we know, among other things, how much Morocco provided logistical support to Nelson Mandela, then fighting once morest apartheid, and to Angolan independence activists, including the former dean of African ambassadors in Morocco who carried, it should be remembered, a Moroccan passport before the independence of his country! recalls Mr. Abouddahab once more. That being said, Angola, continues the professor, has experienced a real emergence for several years and, for Morocco, it would be a strategic opportunity if it managed to put the economy at the heart of cooperation between the two countries, which which would also be valid for other countries in the region such as Namibia. A cooperation which, in Mr. Abouddahab’s opinion, might of course be extended to other sectors, such as culture, education… knowing that Morocco has been receiving Angolan students for several years, when even the latter would be Portuguese-speaking.
Like their fellow Cape Verdeans or Bissau-Guineans, they benefit from scholarships from the AMCI (Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation) and from a language upgrading program before their immersion in the Kingdom’s universities. “It would therefore be advisable to bank on the long term to act on Angola’s position on the Moroccan Sahara,” said Mr. Abouddahab. Moreover, it is a tautology to say that Morocco has adopted a decoupled approach to its relations with countries that maintain their recognition of the so-called “Rasd”, following in this the “Flag follows Trade” rule, in in other words, economics leads, ipso facto, to politics, he points out. More in-depth, Morocco should make a diplomatic breakthrough within Southern Africa, including actions with the SADC (Southern African Development Community), the largest African economic community with its 16 members: South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Comoros, DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), Swaziland, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, says Abouddahab. In this case, it is a considerable step, but a long one, when we know the hostility towards Morocco of the most influential country in this region, namely South Africa. South, says the professor of International Relations. Nevertheless, he stresses, nothing is impossible in diplomacy: a long-term strategy might iron out many difficulties and clear up many misunderstandings. “The process being in motion, the first results are beginning to be felt, especially following Morocco’s return to the African Union,” concludes Mr. Abouddahab.
