Russia is currently holding extensive consultations with various African leaders as preparations are underway for the upcoming Russian-African summit scheduled for July. The Kremlin Palace is keen to ensure a successful summit, but one major question remains unanswered: Will the Polisario front be invited this time around?
The issue of whether or not to invite the Polisario has been a contentious one, with Algeria and South Africa pushing for their involvement in the summit.
However, back in 2019, Moscow chose not to invite the Polisario for the bilateral summit with Africa, much to the disappointment of some African leaders. The summit had focused on strengthening economic and political partnerships between countries. Now, as the summit approaches, many are wondering whether history will repeat itself.
Many publications are suggesting that the Kremlin Palace will not invite the Polisario to attend the summit this year, and will instead limit attendance to African member states of the United Nations.
Rachid Lazraq, the head of the North African Center for Studies, Research, and Public Policy Evaluation, believes that “Africa has turned into an arena for the American-Russian conflict in light of the exacerbation of the Ukraine crisis.” Russia seeks to deepen economic partnerships with the countries of Africa in the face of sanctions from European countries.
According to Lazraq, “ideological Russia did not recognize the Polisario Front at the height of the Cold War, let alone the nationalist Russia that seeks its economic and political interests, especially in light of the complex international circumstance that imposed the siege on it.”
He added that “Russia is trying to benefit from the relations it has with Morocco after the rapprochement that has taken place between them for a while, especially since Moscow has become dependent on UN Security Council resolutions to determine its positions on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.”
Despite Algeria’s push for the Polisario’s attendance, Lazraq believes that “the Russian-African summit, which will be held next July, will again exclude the separatist Polisario Front, similar to the first version in 2019, given the political pragmatism that characterizes the Kremlin Palace’s moves in the region.”
The first edition of the summit in 2019 had shocked Algeria, as they were surprised that the attendance list was limited to countries belonging to the United Nations.
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