Moroccan diplomacy has expressed its “incomprehension” following the reception in Spain of the secretary general of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, suffering from Covid-19 and hospitalized last week under a false identity.
Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, summoned the Spanish ambassador to Rabat to “ask for an explanation.”
Madrid, after having mentioned a priori “strictly humanitarian reasons”, reassured Rabat that the presence of Brahim Ghali in no way affects their bilateral relationship.
“This does not prevent or disrupt the excellent relations that Spain has with Morocco,” said Arancha Gonzalez Laya, head of Spanish diplomacy, at a press conference.
The president of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Republic (rasd) made an emergency visit to Spain on April 21 with an Algerian diplomatic passport under the name of Mohamed Benbatouche. His secret visit prompted a reaction from the Algerian army chief of staff, General Said Chengriha, according to some sources.
This military official fears that this situation will discredit Brahim Ghali, vis-à-vis the few countries which recognize the rasd. The Polisario leader, who is the subject of a European arrest warrant, accused of human rights violations, feared that he would be recognized and captured by the security services.
But the Algerian president, Abdelmajid Tebboune, received, after negotiations, assurances from the Spanish government that Brahim Ghali will not be worried by the Spanish justice.
This did not prevent the victims of the Polisario from taking legal action again in Spain. Lawyers for the Sahrawi Association for the Defense of Human Rights, ASADEDH, filed a complaint on Thursday April 22 for the reactivation of the European arrest warrant issued against Ghali.
Before Spain, Algiers had attempted to transfer Brahim Ghali to Germany, but Berlin reportedly refused to host him.
By OMA Newsletter N ° 243 of 04/26/2021
OMA, an NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
The enhancement of human potential
The promotion and consolidation of inter-African integration
Keywords: Morocco, Spain, Polisario, Brahim Ghali
Country: Morocco, Algeria
Geographical position: North Africa
