Morocco applies to join West African regional economic bloc

JOHANNESBURG // Morocco is applying to join the Economic Community of West African States, the bloc confirmed on Tuesday.

Morocco’s application will be considered at the next summit of 15 member states in July, Ecowas chairman Marcel de Souza said.

The move comes after Morocco in January rejoined the African Union with 39 nations voting in its favour. The 54-nation body in 1984 recognised Western Sahara as the independent Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. In response, Morocco, which claims Western Sahara as its southern provinces, left the union. Western Sahara remains an AU member.

A United Nations resolution for decades has called for a referendum to decide its fate.

Oil companies have abandoned exploration there, and European fishing companies have withdrawn fleets because of the tensions. In December, the European Union’s Court of Justice ruled that Morocco must exclude products from Western Sahara from its exports to member states.

Analyst Liesl Louw-Vaudran of the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies said it would be very surprising if Morocco’s application to Ecowas is accepted. Morocco is not geographically part of West Africa and culturally fits with Arab nations very different from those of sub-Saharan Africa.

The bid to join the West African bloc is not to pursue trade and investment, Ms Louw-Vaudran said. Morocco “wants to sit at the political table and just realised it doesn’t want to be the black sheep of the African continent anymore.”

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has been travelling around Africa in recent months signing multibillion-dollar deals including with Ghana and Nigeria. Last month he visited Guinea, whose president chairs the West African bloc.

Last week the king spoke by telephone to Nigeria’s ailing President Muhammadu Buhari in London. He was just the second leader Mr Buhari is reported to have spoken to this year, after US President Donald Trump.

*Associated Press