Western Sahara: diplomatic quarrel between Morocco and Germany?

In the early evening yesterday, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs suspended all contact with the German embassy in Rabat. The written declaration of Minister Nasser Bourita follows the Saharawi flag hoisted on the flagpole of the Parliament of the city of Bremen.

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry called on all ministerial departments and all bodies under their supervision to suspend all contact, interaction or cooperative action with Germany. In question, a photo that has been circulating since February 26. It shows the Parliament of the city of Bremen, Germany. In front of the building, a flag of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

An event that Minister Nasser Bourita does not specifically mention. The Minister of Foreign Affairs simply indicates that the decision would be due to "deep misunderstandings with the Federal Republic of Germany on fundamental questions of the Kingdom of Morocco". The country's main media outlets released the statement, but the state agency and the Moroccan government have yet to officially confirm the news.

The Parliament of Bremen in Germany dared to hoist the cloth of the so-called SADR in front of its building and the reaction of our diplomacy was not long in coming 👊. pic.twitter.com/b7Odl8fqQH

- Mr. HIMMI (@ MHIMMI2) March 1, 2021

From alliance to quarrel

So far, Morocco and Germany have enjoyed good relations. In December 2020, Germany provided Morocco with 1,3 billion euros in financial support to help Morocco cope with the Covid-19 crisis. The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs then had a telephone interview with his German counterpart Gerd Müller to deepen cooperation between the two countries in various fields. It was particularly a question of support for the development of green energy in Morocco within the framework of investments financed by public-private partnerships (PPP).

On December 10, the Trump administration recognized “Moroccan sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara”, believing “that an independent Sahrawi state is not a realistic option for resolving the conflict”. Former Spanish colony, Western Sahara is inscribed on the list of non-self-governing territories of the United Nations.

For three months, the European Union has struggled to position itself. Single Germany called for a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the issue of Western Sahara.

On the side of Morocco, the press release is tempered: "Morocco wishes to preserve its relationship with Germany, but it is a form of alert expressing unease on many issues", indicates a senior official of the Ministry of Affairs. foreigners. But the threat of a souring of relations hangs over Germany: "There will be no contact until answers are provided on various questions that have been asked."

Other points of contention?

Besides Western Sahara, Germany's refusal to extradite Mohamed Habjib, a Moroccan ex-detainee accused of terrorism. Hajib has lived in Germany since 2017, after spending seven years in a Moroccan prison for terrorism. Since moving to Germany with his wife, Hajib has posted a series of videos on YouTube in which he accuses Moroccan security services of torturing him. Charges that many of his cell mates denied in the media.