Morocco adherence to the African Union: The right move to resolve the Sahara conflict?

Résumé

After decades of an unchanged position from Morocco which refused categorically to adhere the African Union (AU) - known until July 2002 as the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) - because the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) was granted a seat within this pan African organization in 1984, King Mohamed 6th changed the course of Moroccan diplomacy and submitted a formal request in September 2016 to join the AU. Aware of the prominent role the African Union could play in the resolution process of the Western Sahara conflict, Morocco opted for a policy shift and chose to defend its claim over the Western Sahara and break many African leaders’staunch support of the SADR. This new direction was considered from Morocco because it saw that it could be more effective to act within the AU as many African leaders on several occasions extended the invitation to Morocco to step up to the plate and join the organization to better defend its national cause.