Ghana says suspension of relations with Polisario remains unchanged despite envoy meeting

Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reaffirmed that its decision to suspend relations with the Polisario Front remains in effect, following a meeting between Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and a Polisario envoy in Accra.

In a statement published Tuesday, the ministry said its decision to suspend relations with the Polisario Front “has not been reversed.”

The statement followed a meeting at the ministry’s headquarters in Accra between Ablakwa and Tayeb Seddik El Bachir, whom Polisario’s official media describes as its “Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.”

Polisario media reported that El Bachir had presented his credentials to Ghana’s foreign minister and said Ablakwa had reaffirmed Ghana’s position on the Moroccan Sahara.

Ghana’s Foreign Ministry, however, characterized the meeting differently, saying Ablakwa had received El Bachir “as an envoy of the Polisario Front.”

The ministry reiterated Ghana’s support for the United Nations-led political process on the Moroccan Sahara, highlighting the adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2797.

Ghana said it “welcomes the adoption” of the resolution, which supports the U.N. secretary-general and his personal envoy in facilitating negotiations based on Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal, with the aim of reaching a “just, lasting, and mutually acceptable resolution” to the dispute, consistent with the U.N. Charter.

The ministry added that Ghana remains committed to engaging with all parties and the international community in efforts to achieve lasting peace and justice.

Ghana announced on Jan. 6 that it was suspending diplomatic relations with the Polisario Front.

The decision was communicated to Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, according to the ministry.

Ghana also said at the time that it would notify Morocco, the African Union and the United Nations of the decision through diplomatic channels.

The latest statement indicates that the meeting with El Bachir did not constitute a reversal of that decision, despite Polisario media’s description of him as an ambassador and its account of the meeting.