Tokyo (Japan), August 23, 2024 (SPS) - A member of the Moroccan diplomatic delegation participating in the preparatory experts' meeting for the TICAD summit in Tokyo this morning attempted to physically assault the Sahrawi Republic's Permanent Representative to the African Union, Amb. Lamin Baali. The ambassador was participating in the meeting alongside his colleagues from member states of the Union. The assailant was apprehended and removed from the meeting hall by protocol and security staff.
The Moroccan diplomat attempted to sneak up from behind the Sahrawi ambassador during the host country Japan’s speech and lunged at the sign bearing the Sahrawi Republic's name, trying to steal it. The Sahrawi ambassador and the African diplomats standing beside him thwarted the attempt, bringing the assailant to the ground. The entire hall was shocked by this new Moroccan scandal.
The incident was not merely an isolated reaction from this young Moroccan diplomat. After the failure of what seemed to be the young diplomat’s assigned task, the Moroccan Ambassador to the African Union and his accompanying delegation approached the Sahrawi ambassador to insult him and the African diplomats who stood to protect him, subjecting them to verbal abuse.
A Sahrawi diplomatic source contacted by the Sahrawi Press Service (SPS) to comment on the incident confirmed that the Moroccan regime of occupation’s failure to prevent the Sahrawi delegation from participating in the TICAD summit—despite all its efforts and prolonged propaganda claiming success in excluding the Sahrawi Republic—along with the African Union' refusal to exclude any of its members from such meetings, provoked Moroccan diplomatic frustration, leading them to resorting to bullying and physical assault in an attempt to disrupt the conference.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time Moroccan diplomats have overstepped bounds and violated basic diplomatic norms and protocols. The Moroccan delegation, led by its Foreign Minister at the time, previously physically assaulted the Sahrawi delegation in Maputo in 2018.
Additionally, the Moroccan Ambassador to the African Union verbally attacked the Sahrawi delegation in Johannesburg in 2020, not to talk about similar verbal and physical assaults on Sahrawi diplomats in New York, Geneva, and Brussels. Such behaviors have become characteristic of Moroccan diplomats under Minister Bourita’s tenure.
The Sahrawi diplomat stated in his comments to SPS that the bullying actions of Moroccan diplomats are clear evidence of their failure and reflect weakness in argument and strategy in the face of the just struggle of the Sahrawi people and the presence of the Sahrawi Republic alongside Morocco in such international forums despite all attempts by the Moroccan regime to obstruct it.
The Sahrawi diplomat expressed astonishment at the poor level of Moroccan diplomacy and the inadequacy of those calling themselves diplomats in Morocco’s Foreign Ministry. He noted that the ethical standards of these individuals, including the Moroccan Ambassador to the African Union, raise doubts about their competence to participate in official international meetings.
He deemed it unacceptable for the Moroccan occupation regime to continue embarrassing the African Union with such disgraceful actions, which tarnish the organization’s overall image.
He called on the Union to take strict measures against the Moroccan delegation to prevent the recurrence of such scandals and to ensure the safety of Sahrawi diplomats and others from Moroccan aggressive actions. (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)