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Pretoria wants conflict in Western Sahara to be resolved

Lindiwe Sisulu
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Pretoria says it remains committed to ensuring that injustices prevalent in Western Sahara are brought to an end and the conflict resolved. It is the longest conflict on the continent between the Polisario Front and Morocco.

Addressing the media on Thursday afternoon, International Relations and Co-operation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and her deputies also confirmed that there had been overtures by Saudi Arabia to buy arms from Denel.

The Western Sahara issue has been on the African Union agenda for some time now, yet  there has been nothing tangible to resolve it.  The last AU Summit took a decision that African leaders had a moral obligation to  force the Moroccan government to grant the Saharawi Republic independence.

In a recent Tica meeting in Japan, Deputy Minister Luwellyn Landers said Morocco tried to prevent the meeting going ahead because of the presence of  the Saharawi.  But the strong position of the AU countered all objections.

Pretoria does not take kindly to how the Sahawari people are treated. Whether the country would sell arms to Saudi Arabia currently  involved in the war with Yemen, Sisulu said it would be a violation of human rights.

The country is in the grip of a war that is becoming increasingly complex. A Saudi-led coalition backed by the United States has joined the fight between the Houthis and government forces.

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