MOROCCO JOINS THE AU: MOTIVES AND MEANINGS

Morocco re-joined the African Union on 30 January 2017 after a 33-year absence caused by the admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The paper argues that Morocco used extensive economic diplomacy and bilateral agreements to secure support for its return, aiming to cement its leadership in Africa and eventually secure AU recognition of its control over Western Sahara. The author highlights a tension between Morocco's rhetoric of African unity and its history of border disputes, suggesting that the AU lacks a strategy to manage the agendas of powerful member states.

• Morocco withdrew from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1984 because the organization admitted the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which Morocco considers part of its own territory.
• Morocco's readmission to the AU on 30 January 2017 was achieved through a calculated strategy of economic diplomacy, including bilateral treaties and investment promises to various African nations.
• The primary motive for Morocco's return to the AU is to use its influence to resolve the sovereignty of Western Sahara in its own favour and remove the SADR from the organization.
• Morocco's return is part of a broader foreign policy goal to establish itself as an emerging leader in Africa, partly driven by fading unity in the Maghreb and shifting relations with the EU and US.
• South Africa and Algeria actively opposed Morocco's readmission, with South Africa's ruling party (ANC) describing the decision as 'regrettable' due to concerns over the SADR's right to self-determination.
• Morocco has a history of contradicting the OAU/AU principle of respecting colonial-era borders, evidenced by its 1963 conflict with Algeria and its 1975 annexation of Western Sahara.
• The AU is viewed as lacking an effective strategy to handle the national objectives of its most powerful member states, often failing to enforce its own constitutive principles.
• Morocco continues to use boycott tactics in multilateral forums to pressure other states and obstruct the participation of the SADR.

APA

RAWHANI, C. (2018). MOROCCO JOINS THE AU: MOTIVES AND MEANINGS. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Occasional-Paper-277.pdf

Chicago

RAWHANI, CARMEL. MOROCCO JOINS THE AU: MOTIVES AND MEANINGS. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2018. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Occasional-Paper-277.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=RAWHANI |first1=CARMEL |title=MOROCCO JOINS THE AU: MOTIVES AND MEANINGS |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=April 2018 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Occasional-Paper-277.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rawhani2018morocco, author = {RAWHANI, CARMEL}, title = {{MOROCCO JOINS THE AU: MOTIVES AND MEANINGS}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Occasional-Paper-277.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }