On Wednesday, September 14, William Ruto announced in a tweet the severance of his diplomatic relations with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), before deleting it a few hours later.
With our correspondent in Nairobi, Florence Morice
Is this a volte-face or not? And what will ultimately be Nairobi’s position on the Sahrawi Republic? There has been silence on the side of the Kenyan presidency since Wednesday. No explanation was provided for this deleted tweet. In another message, still visible to him, President William Ruto only indicates that his country ” supports the United Nations mediation on the question of Western Sahara, such as the exclusive mechanism to find a durable solution to the conflict between Rabat and the Polisario over this disputed territory.
Interview with the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs…
But beyond the substance, it is the method used by the new Kenyan president that arouses reactions and questions. An informal announcement, in a tweet, and unexpected, while 24 hours earlier, the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, attended his inauguration in Nairobi.
This tweet was written after an interview with the new president and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. During this meeting, the two countries promised to strengthen their cooperation. However, the question of Western Sahara is ” the prism through which Morocco views its international environment “. It was King Mohamed VI himself who said so last month when urging his partners to ” clarify “their position on the subject to support Rabat” unequivocally “.
Kenya supports the United Nations framework as the exclusive mechanism to find a lasting solution of the dispute over Western Sahara. pic.twitter.com/8ax4TBvenS
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) September 14, 2022