Rcalls from the respective ambassadors of Morocco and Tunisia, war of press releases and declarations. Never has there been a fry that has so quickly crossed the diplomatic line between Rabat and Tunis. Beyond the positions of the two capitals, this crisis has provoked some international reactions.
The crisis that erupted on the sidelines of the 8th edition of TICAD, boycotted by Morocco, did not fail to make some of the 50 participating countries react.
Umaro Sissoco Embalo slams the door in protest
President of Guinea Bissau and current President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Umaro Sissoco Embalo left the Tunisian meeting of TICAD on the first day of work. According to a diplomatic source quoted by MAP, his departure was in protest once morest “the participation imposed on the Polisario by Tunisia”.
To respect diplomatic custom, the departure of the Bissau-Guinean president would be made following the official photo. In photos and videos shared by the organizers, we see him appear in the family photo and in a video of the plenary.
Senegal’s Macky Sall regrets the absence of Morocco
The cancellation of the participation of the Japanese Prime Minister, positive for Covid, had led to a series of cancellations from heads of state. If the Nigerian Muhammadu Buhari and King Mwsati III of Eswatini maintained their participation, the South African Cyril Ramaphosa apologized.
For a time, Macky Sall, the Senegalese president had considered canceling but his plane might not turn around. In his capacity as President-in-Office of the African Union, Macky Sall presided over the opening of TICAD 8. A moment chosen to provide support to Morocco.
Senegal ???????? through its president @Macky_Sall regrets the absence of Morocco ???????? to @Ticad8Tunisia ????????
He hopes that a solution will be found soon to prevent this situation from happening once more (expulsion of the “rasd” from the AU?) #Morocco#Tunisia pic.twitter.com/ZJkXZn2Q2B
— Jaf (@Jafkech) August 27, 2022
“Senegal regrets that this meeting of Ticad is marked by the absence of Morocco, an eminent member of the African Union, for lack of consensus on a question of representation”, said Macky Sall in his opening speech. “We hope that this will find a lasting solution in the future for the smooth running of our organization and our partnership in a serene and peaceful environment”, he added.
Azali Assoumani of the Comoros deplores the absence of a “pillar of Africa”
Also present in Tunis, the President of the Comoros Islands, Azali Assoumani, gave strong support to Morocco. ” I would like to express our regret for the absence of Morocco, a pillar of Africa for reasons of compliance with the rules established so far for the organization of this Ticad summit.“, said at the opening of this conference. And add: ” We hope this will not affect the expectations of our peoples in this strategic partnership between Africa and Japan.« .
Liberia wants to suspend TICAD due to Morocco’s absence
The head of Liberian diplomacy went further. In a statement, he calls for the suspension of the work of TICAD, for the scrupulous respect of the rules for inviting participants.
« Liberia expressed regret over Morocco’s absence from TICAD-8. We are surprised by the imposed presence of a (Polisario) delegation in violation of TICAD procedures”said Liberian Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah.
The diplomat called for “the suspension of this session until the resolution of the problems relating to the procedures” following the unilateral invitation of the separatist entity of the Polisario at TICAD.
