Kenya’s President William Ruto has deleted a tweet revoking
the country’s recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as an
independent state.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ruto announced the development on
Twitter after receiving a congratulatory message from Mohammed VI, King of
Morocco.
The announcement also came after Brahim Ghali, the president
of Sahrawi Republic, attended Ruto’s swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.
The SADR, which claims the Western Sahara, is a
partially-recognised state agitating for total independence from Morocco.
It was colonised by the Spanish from 1884 to 1976.
After the Spanish withdrew from the region, a
politico-military organisation based in Algeria and largely composed of
Sahrawis, declared the independence of the region.
They fought Morocco and Mauritania for control of the
territory, even as Morocco continues to claim sovereignty over the area.
Kenya recognised the region’s independence in 2005, and is
among 41 United Nations (UN) member states — including Nigeria — that recognise
the republic as an independent state.
In a Twitter post on Wednesday, Ruto said Kenya “rescinds
its recognition of the SADR and initiates steps to wind down the entity’s
presence in the country”.
“Kenya supports the United Nations framework as the exclusive
mechanism to find a lasting solution of the dispute over Western Sahara,” he
added.
“We are accelerating relations with the Kingdom of Morocco
in areas of trade, agriculture, health, tourism, energy, among others, for the
mutual benefit of our countries.”
The president has, however, deleted the tweet revoking
Sahrawi‘s recognition as an independent state.
In Nigeria, the SADR was recognised on November 11, 1984,
when President Muhammadu Buhari was military head of state.
Buhari had, in 2019, also said Nigeria’s support for the
SADR and its quest for self-determination had not changed, adding that the
country remains committed to the resolutions of the African Union and the
United Nations on its status.
Meanwhile, although the development has generated varied
reactions on social media, the president is yet to give a reason for deleting
the tweet.
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