Senegal abre un Consulado en Dajla y muestra su apoyo a Marruecos en la disputa del territorio del Sáhara Occidental
61 years have passed since Senegal gained its independence and became the Republic of Senegal. Now, under the presidency of Macky Sall, the Senegalese country is opening a Consulate in the city of Dakhla, thus showing its support for what has long been its traditional ally, the Kingdom of Morocco. It did so in a ceremony presided over by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Resident Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad, Aïssata Tall Sall.
Dakhla, the coastal town where this consular office was inaugurated, is, according to the United Nations, a non-self-governing territory - although a section of the Spanish government insists that independence has yet to be determined - and has been administered by Morocco since the Mauritanian evacuation in 1979. The opening of this consulate contrasts sharply with the communiqué issued by the African Union's Peace and Security Council on 18 March, in which it asked "the UN legal adviser to provide legal advice on the opening of consulates in the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara". According to Hassan Ballawan, an expert in international relations, explained in a statement to the Al Ain media that "Senegal had previously taken many courageous positions in support of Morocco's territorial integrity, such as its two-year withdrawal from the Organisation of African Unity in protest against the inclusion of the Polisario Front in this organisation".
In addition to the opening of the Consulate, the two sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning technical cooperation in the field of civil aviation. Also on communications and the digital economy for the coming years, since, as Nasser Bourita said after the signing of the agreements, "Senegal has a special place in Morocco's heart". Proof of this are the eight visits that King Mohamed VI has made during his reign. Moreover, he said that "this opening today reflects the common will of our heads of state", since it was Mohamed VI and President Macky Sall who reached an agreement on the opening of this new consulate.
The United States has not yet opened its consulate in Dakhla, but intends to do so very soon. At least that is the intention of the US, according to the American ambassador to Morocco, David Fischer, who stated at an event in January that the ideal building to house the new office was being sought, but that it would open "very soon". At the same event, Morocco's foreign minister said he was very happy with the relations they have with Washington, which they describe as "exceptional partners". The Moroccan-US free trade agreement has already been renewed four times and has reached a bilateral trade volume of 5 billion dollars.
While waiting for Joe Biden's country to finally find the ideal building for the opening of its consulate, the number of diplomatic representations in the southern provinces of the Kingdom of Morocco has reached 21. The city of Laayoune includes 11 diplomatic missions from Comoros, Gabon, Central Africa, Sao Tome and Principe, Côte d'Ivoire, Burundi, Zambia, Eswatini, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan. The city of Dakhla is home to 10 consulates for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Djibouti, Guinea, Gambia and, as of Monday 5 April, Senegal.
