South-south cooperation,Morocco matches words with action in Sahel

The foreign ministers of the three landlocked states of Mali,Niger and Burkina Faso reaffirmed their full endorsement of the Atlantic Initiative,put forward by Morocco’s King to help them access global trade and address their development challenges.

This came following an audience in Rabat offered by King Mohammed VI to the three Foreign Ministers of these three countries.

The meeting “falls within the framework of the longstanding relations of the Kingdom with the three countries of the alliance of Sahel States,which have always been marked by sincere friendship,mutual respect,active solidarity and fruitful cooperation,” Morocco’s news agency said.

The three ministers thanked the King for his initiatives in favor of Sahel development,notably the Atlantic initiative which aims to help the three landlocked states access global trade and meet their development needs.

Morocco made it clear that African countries should work together to promote economic and human development as a path towards ensuring stability,including through ground-breaking moves such as the Atlantic initiative,through which Rabat voiced readiness to offer its infrastructure,rail network,and ports to help African peers access global trade.

“We expressed our appreciation for the Royal Initiative aimed at facilitating access for our three countries to the Atlantic Ocean to diversify our access to the sea and strengthen peace and security,” Mali’s foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop told the media after the audience.

Echoing him,Niger’s foreign minister Bakary Yaou Sangare said the initiative is a “boon” for the landlocked countries.

Morocco showed understanding towards the countries of the Sahel alliance and showed solidarity without interference,he said.

Following the coups in the three states,the regional bloc ECOWAS imposed sanctions including trade restrictions,further worsening the economic outlook of the landlocked states.

Mali,Niger and Burkina Faso left ECOWAS and created their own grouping known as the alliance of Sahel states (AES).

The three states are also struggling with terrorist groups that sprouted from Algeria’s civil war.

Algeria added to the blockade on the Sahel states by banning its airspace to all aircrafts coming or going to Mali. This came after Algeria downed a Malian drone that was tracking a terrorist group in northern Mali. The incident led the three states to issue strong condemnations,accusing Algeria of backing terrorism and hostile acts.

As Algeria adds to the blockade on the landlocked states,Morocco- in line with a south-south cooperation approach- is offering access to its infrastructure and offering dialogue as a solution to disagreements between African peers,in full respect to their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Atlantic initiative is part of a Moroccan African policy,spearheaded by the King,which urges Africans to tap into their potential and rely on themselves to meet the aspirations of their peoples to a dignified life.

One of the major south-south development initiatives launched by Morocco is the Atlantic pipeline,that will help Nigeria channel its gas to the Kingdom while helping 13 West African states achieve their energy needs.