Six new member states have received invites from the BRICS alliance’s leaders; Algeria is conspicuously missing from the list.

Despite expressing open enthusiasm in doing so over the past year, the North African nation will not be joining the organization. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune confirmed that the nation had formally applied to join during a recent trip to China.

Tebboune’s absence at the BRICS summit in South Africa also drew attention because Algeria was anticipated to maintain its significant involvement with the organization.

Algeria’s potential membership in the group has been openly discussed by a number of government officials in the media over the last year. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated earlier this year that Algeria “possesses features and advantages that put it above the others looking to join BRICS group.”

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates are among the coalition’s new members, which represents a significant expansion aimed at promoting the interests of the “global south” and strengthening the coalition’s influence.

In the context of rising geopolitical tensions, the BRICS organization—which also consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—wants to raise its profile on the international scene.

Especially at a time when the global balance of power is experiencing substantial changes, the inclusion of the new nations may pave the way for more nations desiring to join BRICS.

According to a statement made by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the conference, the new members will formally join on January 1, 2024.

The BRICS coalition has historically struggled to portray a united agenda, limiting its efficacy as a significant participant on the international scene. The BRICS coalition accounts for close to 40% of the global population and a quarter of the global gross domestic product.22 nations have formally applied to join the BRICS, out of the more than 40 that have indicated interest.

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South Africa reiterated its backing for the Polisario separatist forces. Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, advocated on Sunday for the “Sahrawi people to secede from the Kingdom of Morocco.”

In his speech outlining the foundations of South Africa’s foreign policy ahead to the BRICS summit, Ramaphosa said that South Africa “supports and will continue to support marginalized and oppressed peoples in various parts of the world.”

He stated, “The freedom and international solidarity that we attained demands that we continue to support the colonized people who are subject to racial discrimination, like the Sahrawi people.”

Support for the Polisario Forces and opposition to Morocco’s territorial integrity are indications of South Africa’s stance toward Morocco.

On the other hand, a statement from the Indian government said that South Africa sent out invitations for the BRICS/Africa meeting, scheduled for August 24 in Johannesburg, unilaterally and nationally.

“The President of South Africa’s remarks reveal a contradiction in the diplomatic rhetoric of this country. He opposes Morocco’s territorial integrity and important choices while simultaneously inviting it to the BRICS summit, according to international law expert Abbas El Ouardi.
On Saturday, Morocco denied having submitted an application to join the BRICS organization, stating that its participation in the BRICS/Africa meeting was “not at all possible at any level.”

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Abroad, Morocco was not asked about accepting the invitation to the BRICS/Africa summit.

“South Africa’s attempt to drag Morocco to this summit failed after Morocco decided not to participate for objective and realistic reasons that can be reflected in the South-African president’s statements,” claims Charifa Mouiyer, a political analyst for Hespress AR.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Abroad, the South African administration unilaterally decided to take the lead in organizing the BRICS conference.

Read also: BRICS/Africa” Meeting: South African Analyst Blasts ANC Government’s Untenable Contradictions

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The Moroccan national football team lost to South Africa in a qualifying match for the African Cup of Nations on Saturday. The host team won the game 2-1 in the final score.

South Africa defeated Morocco early on in the match by scoring a goal. Throughout the remainder of the first half, the Moroccan squad encountered many difficulties and defensive slip-ups that almost led to a second goal for their opponents.

Morocco’s offensive efforts were ineffective the whole first half and did not offer a serious danger to South Africa’s goal. So, with the home team leading by one goal, the referee blew the whistle to signify the conclusion of the first half.

The Moroccan team struggled much more throughout the second half. South Africa extended their lead with a second goal within the first five minutes of the second half, replicating the conditions of the previous goal.

Hakim Ziyech succeeded in scoring a goal in the 60th minute, cutting Morocco’s deficit. However, crucial mistakes in the Moroccan defense during the final few minutes of the game allowed the South African squad to come close to scoring a third goal.

Morocco’s national team dropped to second place in Group 11 standings as a result of this loss, earning 6 points. The national team of South Africa increased their score to 7 points, which gave them the tournament lead.

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Youssef Amrani, the ambassador of Morocco to South Africa, has vehemently denied the false claims made about the Moroccan Sahara issue recently by Alvin Botes, the country’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, in an opinion piece that was written specifically about the Moroccan Sahara issue and appeared in the party magazine “ANC Today.”

The Moroccan diplomat dissects South African discourse on the Moroccan Sahara issue and corrects misconceptions, baseless claims, and intellectual deficiencies of an ideologically skewed and limited perspective in his reaction to these insulting, unsubstantiated, and inappropriate accusations.

Additionally, this unquestioning allegiance to Algerian theses raises serious concerns about its utility and purpose, betraying the ambition, vision, and ideal of forging a powerful and united Africa. In reality, he recalled Morocco’s historical support for the fight against colonialism and apartheid, which played a crucial role in the formation of the liberation movement in South Africa.

According to the late Nelson Mandela, denying this historical fact is an insult to the sacrifices made by the Moroccan people in their fight against colonialism and ignores their unwavering support and solidarity as well as their voluntary support for the brethren African peoples in pursuing the same objective.

Amrani questioned how South Africa, which had during its time in the Security Council in 2007 voted in favor of the Resolution on the Moroccan Sahara issue enshrining the preeminence of the “autonomy initiative” and the political process, can still promote outdated theses and abandoned for more than 20 years while pointing out the contradictions in its position. A bygone idea from a bygone period that has been obviously abandoned and buried by the United Nations and the international community is only kept alive by continuing, without any sense of coherence or reason, to view the referendum as the solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue.

Returning to these unjustified and unfounded semantics on the subject of human rights, the ambassador adamantly stated that Morocco has nothing to hide and has no complexes, taboos, or lessons to learn. Morocco also has nothing to hide. In fact, Morocco, a country with a thousand-year history and a DNA infused with concepts of tolerance, openness, and peace, has permanently inscribed the universality of human rights in the Kingdom’s Constitution. It is clear that the people of the Southern Provinces are fully committed to the process of establishing democracy in the Kingdom by participating in such prodigious numbers in the general and municipal elections scheduled for September 2021.

The ambassador expressed sorrow in his letter that the piece supported the inaccurate claims made about the alleged “activist” Sultana Khaya and even veered off topic to merely spread “polisario” misinformation. Amrani noted in this regard that various officials and UN bodies had purposefully distanced themselves from her deceptions and nefarious claims when her intents, lies, and dishonest tactics had been revealed.

The Moroccan envoy also rejected the claims that “Morocco is plundering the resources of the Sahara region” with numbers. He highlighted that Morocco has made socioeconomic growth and infrastructure building among its top goals ever since it gained its independence. The adoption of the Development Model for the Southern Provinces, created with complete local engagement in all areas of its planning and execution, eight years ago, has strengthened this human and inclusive development.

The results of this vision are currently 80% of the allocated budget, or more than 7.5 billion dollars, realized, he said. The main socio-economic indicators also show that the Southern Provinces are performing better than the rest of the Kingdom, particularly in terms of GDP per capita, which is 50% higher than the national average, or in terms of poverty rate, which is three times lower than the national average.

Ambassador Amrani questioned the deputy minister about Pretoria’s blindness and shameful silence on the terrible humanitarian situation in the Tindouf camps, in Algeria, denouncing the politicization of the human rights issue. Why is Tindouf the only “refugee” camp in the world where the UNHCR is prohibited from carrying out its duties? How is it acceptable that Algeria has given an armed separatist organization the responsibility of protecting human rights on its own territory?

In complete violation of the international agreements and treaties Algeria has signed, this de facto transfer of authority from Algeria to the “polisario” on its soil has left the residents of the camps in a precarious, abandoned, and insecure situation and denied them access to the institutions of judicial recourse. He stated that a state cannot delegate its authority and consequently its duty to an armed militia operating on its soil.

The envoy said that the Sahara issue is more than just a topic on the Security Council’s agenda for the Moroccan people. According to him, it is a matter that is closely related to the sovereignty of the country of Morocco.

In addition to being acknowledged as credible, serious, and realistic by the UN Security Council and the major countries, the Moroccan Autonomy Plan also serves as the catalyst for the UN-led political process that we are all working to promote, he continued. The Autonomy Plan is indisputable evidence of Morocco’s willingness to consider a practical and constructive solution while maintaining the Kingdom’s territorial integrity in the current complicated geopolitical environment. It is evidence—if any were required—of the Kingdom’s real dedication to long-term tranquility, uniformity, integration, and prosperity in the area and across the continent.
Read Also: Sahara: Staffan De Mistura ends his informal consultations

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Omar Hilale, Morocco’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, denounced, in two letters addressed last Wednesday to the UN SG and to the president and members of the Security Council, South Africa’s complicity with Algeria and the “Polisario”, its unconditional appropriation of Algeria’s geopolitical agenda and its blind ideological support to the armed separatist group.

Reacting to a letter circulated by the Permanent Mission of South Africa to the UN on the Moroccan Sahara, Hilale stressed that the Kingdom of Morocco “deeply regrets that South Africa lends itself, once again, to the role of factor of an armed separatist group, whose connections with terrorism in the Sahel are proven. In his letter, Omar Hilale said that the infamous terrorist “adnan abu al walid sahrawi”, was a member of the “polisario” before becoming the leader of the terrorist group “Islamic state in the great sahara” and recalled that this individual had his habits of taking refuge in the camps of Tindouf, and to be treated, before being eliminated on September 15, 2021. Mr. Hilale added that the deputy of abu al walid sahrawi, the notorious terrorist “lakhal sidi salama”, alias “abdelhakim sahraoui”, was also a member of the “polisario” and was eliminated on 23 May 2021.

Furthermore, the German newspaper Die Welt, dated 27 January 2023, published the results of an investigation based on the convergent reports of several European intelligence services, confirming, with evidence, that the ‘polisario’ has made the Tindouf camps a hub for the financing of terrorism in the Sahel, through the ‘hawala’ which allows the illicit and anonymous transfer of funds between Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, particularly to terrorist groups and actors involved in regional destabilization.

Read Also: German newspaper sheds light on the ‘Polisario’ money laundering and terrorism scandal

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The annual study on the 150 most powerful and valuable African brands has just been released by «Brand Finance».

– Overall brand value in the top 150 Africa fell by 12% from US$45.5 billion in 2020 to US$40.0 billion in 2021

– MTN, the South African telecom operator, has been named the strongest and most valuable African brand for the second year in a row, with a brand worth of US$2.7 billion.

– With 81 brands out of 150, South Africa dominates the ranking, accounting for 73 percent of the total value of the 150 African brands. Nigeria is second on the continent with 17 brands, and Morocco is third with 10 brands in the top 150.

– Banks, telecoms and insurance are the sectors with the strongest and most valued brands on the continent.

– The banking sector has the most valuable brands in Africa, with 36 brands accounting for 27 percent of the overall value of the 150 African brands. Between 2020 and 2021, the total value of African banking brands declined by 12%, as did the value of banking brands in other parts of the world.

– Three banking brands stand out with a positive development:

Kenya Commercial Bank (+ 12% à US$209 million), BANK OF AFRICA (+ 11% to US$221 million) and Nigeria Access Bank (+ 8% to US$262 million)

– The BANK OF AFRICA brand had the greatest year in terms of brand value in Morocco (all sectors combined) and the second-best performance in the African banking industry, with an increase of 11% in the brand value, which is now valued at US$221 million.

THE BANK OF AFRICA offers services in consumer, corporate and private banking and has a broad regional coverage in Morocco, it operates over 697 branches in Morocco alone. And 560 branches in the rest of the african continent.

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Interview with Ambassador to South Africa Youssef Amrani

In an interview with Morocco Telegraph, Moroccan diplomat and politician, Youssef Amrani, Moroccan Ambassador to South Africa, expressed his views regarding the bilateral relations between Morocco and South Africa as well as Morocco ‘s diplomatic efforts in Africa. The interview transcript is as follows:

– Morocco and South Africa are two of the African continent’s most advanced countries. To what extent have the countries capitalized on economic opportunities in order to achieve the desired growth?

Let me tell you first that, our two countries agreed, at highest level, to reinforce and develop their relations trough a renewed Partnership. By building closer and stronger ties we actually participate in building up a prosperous, secure and forward looking Africa.

On the economic level, Morocco and south Africa have shared some big success stories in the recent years. Saham and Sanlam, Aredei Capital and so on, … Two months ago, Casablanca Finance City Authority (CFCA) and the South African Agency Wesgro signed a memorandum of understanding to promote investment opportunities in Morocco and South Africa. Morocco’s regional Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and services of the Souss-Massa region signed an MoU with South Africa’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Cape Province. These new instruments pave the way for the establishment of a support platform for companies in their respective investment projects, whether in South Africa or in Morocco.
But of course, this is not enough. We have to push this dynamic even further to create more value for our people and our young generation. This is what matters the most. I think that the most appropriate way to do this is by enhancing inter-African trade and investment through appropriate tools like the African continental free-trade area (Afcfta). The creation of the Afcfta marks the beginning of a broader collective plan and a new model of supportive, efficient and inclusive co-development in the service of African countries.
Let us not forget that Morocco and South Africa have been, alternately during the last years, the largest investors in the continent and the largest in their respective regions. As so, they are called upon to play major roles in the African integration process. On the other hand, Morocco and South Africa are among the very few African countries that currently have the tools and the know how to efficiently address the needs of the African continent in Covid vaccines and medical equipment.
Therefore, we must look beyond the economic dimension of the bilateral cooperation and work internally, by our own means, to review realities that are now obsolete. More than ever, policies of solidarity are needed as we should aim further to common and shared objectives like peace restoration, strengthening democracy, strong economic growth, in order to enhance States’ resilience and promote inclusive, sustainable development for the benefit of the African continent.
This is the Vision of His Majesty the King for the Africa We Want, a continent that takes responsibility for its own destiny through a renewed commitment, that puts human development at the heart of its priorities, in order to achieve Peace and Prosperity.
I believe that by working together, Morocco and South Africa can increase trade and investment and promote economic and human development projects throughout the continent, as means of promoting stability and security for the African people. Overall, we have to turn the pages of ideological positions and work together to overcome our differences and build-up a common future based on shared prosperity and values.
– As one of the most prominent pillars of Moroccan diplomacy, how do you see the dynamism of the Moroccan Sahara issue particularly through the expanding circle of States that recognize national sovereignty, as well as the number of consulates opened? 

Let me remind you that the UN has defined clear parameters for the way forward in the search for a durable solution to this regional dispute over the Sahara. The language of the UN, and therefore that of international legality, advocates for a political solution that is realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and based on compromise.
All these parameters are fully reflected in the autonomy plan presented by Morocco in 2007. Since 2007, all the Resolutions of the UN Security Council have supported the Moroccan approach by underlining the pre-eminence of its initiative, its seriousness and its credibility. As a matter of fact, the autonomy plan is the one and only way forward for a final solution to this regional dispute, namely autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.
This plan is a “win-win” solution that represents a realistic and pragmatic way to put an end to this dispute in full consistency with the guidelines of the Security Council. It brings hope for a better future for the people of the region, puts an end to separation and promotes reconciliation. It is the only solution that satisfies the parameters laid out in Security Council resolutions: A realistic, practicable, and enduring political solution that rests on compromise.
This wording used by the Security Council is not fortuitous. It is a direct call to the other parties to move forward in this negotiation process, involving all the relevant stakeholders, in order to put an end to the deadlock that has lasted long enough. The cost of this lack of will to find a final solution to this issue is too high, for the people of the region as well as for the UN efforts.
As you rightly mention in your question, we acknowledge every day a greater number of countries around the globe that are no longer taking half measures to formally recognize the full and complete sovereignty of Morocco over its Saharan provinces. The opening of more than 20 consulates general of brotherly and friendly countries in Dakhla and Laayoune, the American proclamation and many other diplomatic breakthroughs reflect the same conviction that Morocco’s legitimacy is undeniable and its sovereignty over the Sahara non-negotiable.
Moreover, Morocco has a just cause, a long-term vision and a legitimate ambition. For the past decades, the economic and social development of the Sahara has been a priority for Morocco. In its Saharan provinces, as elsewhere throughout its national territory, the Kingdom has never ceased to promote the interests of its citizens.
The resulting benefits of this approach are outstanding. By creating added value and massively investing in the future of the region, Morocco has created a momentum for prosperity and development not only in the Southern Provinces but rather throughout the national territory, and for the benefit of all Moroccan citizens from Tangier to Lagouira.
– How do you assess Morocco’s position on the continent since its re-accession to the African Union, which has created the opportunity for the establishment and strengthening of various initiatives led by King Mohammed VI on the continent?

Morocco’s return to the AU is the result of a proactive and sustained policy of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and a Royal Vision in favour of a South-South cooperation development and a win-win partnership. It is a return to normal, to our natural place.

Africa forms an integral part of Morocco’s identity. Morocco is African, by its geography, as well as by its history. Human, economic and religious ties have always been strong between the Kingdom and the continent it belongs to.

On top of that and since its independence, Morocco has always been putting Africa in the heart of its strategic choices. We remember proudly that, since the 60’s and shortly after its independence, Morocco actively supported African independence movements and their emblematic leaders from Patrice Lumumba to Nelson Mandela, providing them with diplomatic support as well as military assistance in order to defeat colonialism and help the continent achieve peace.

Morocco is a founding member of the OAU. It was the Casablanca conference, in 1961, that brought together the most charismatic leaders of the newly independent African countries gathered around the Father of the Moroccan independence Mohammed V, and led to the birth of the pan Africanism and the Organization of the African Unity.

In 1984, the Kingdom withdrew, for a while, but never left Africa. Morocco did not wait for its return to the AU to invest in social-economic development with the African countries. The Moroccan multidimensional offer is singular and unique based on a global, integrated and inclusive approach that takes into consideration promoting peace and stability, sustainable human development and cultural and spiritual identity.

The spirit of fraternity, solidarity and humanism prevails in our foreign policy. HM King Mohammed VI’s initiative to support and work together with more than 15 African sisterly nations in their national efforts and endeavours to fight the Covid pandemic, confirms yet again, Morocco’s commitment for a united, strong and resilient Africa.

Today Morocco spares no efforts to contribute in building up an emergent strong, independent and confident continent. Integration, stability and prosperity are at the heart of our priorities. Morocco deeply believes that Africa’s future must rely on common ownership and dialogue and unequivocal support for the priorities of an African youth in search of prosperity and opportunities.

Nevertheless, one has to understand that African unity is a moving target. We have to constantly adapt our self to the requirement of goal oriented policies. It is not always an easy task to find common grounds as Africa is a very diverse continent. The AU must provide the space that unites ambitions and pulls strategies. Its role is crucial to express a continental vision that breaks with past approaches.

The Kingdom’s return to the African Union, its institutional family, is therefore that of a deep and unequivocal desire to bring strength and contribution to the building of an emancipated Africa.

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South Africa’s Ambassador to Morocco, Ibrahim Idris, considered that Morocco has a lot to offer to Africa, which confirms the importance of “developing exchanges and cooperation between the economies of the continent,” noting that the African Continental Free Trade Area initiative, as well as the African youth, would contribute to the development of the continent.

In the same context, the South African diplomat stressed the possibility of cooperation in all fields, and expressed his admiration for the progress made by the Kingdom in the field of infrastructure (high-speed railways, ports…), which are considered, according to Idris, among the best in Africa

In a statement to M24, the South African ambassador said that his country has ambitions to consolidate cooperation with Morocco, adding, “We want closer cooperation, especially in the cultural field […] We look forward to working with Morocco.”

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The exclusivity of the UN process tending to reach a political solution to the issue of the Moroccan Sahara cannot be marred by any approach that would seek to question its primacy or hinder its expression, affirmed, on Wednesday, Morocco’s Ambassador to South Africa, Youssef Amrani.

In an open letter addressed to the South African Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Candith Mashego Dlamini, following a speech she gave at the University of Limpopo and which made references to Morocco and the Moroccan Sahara on the basis of partial and impartial assessments, Amrani recalled that the African Union (AU) formally endorsed this requirement through its resolution 693 adopted in July 2018 at the level of African Heads of State in AU summit held in Nouakchott.

“Security Council resolution 690 to which you referred was a major turning point in the initiation of a UN process, which over the years (…) has recognized the sole relevance of a realistic, pragmatic and lasting political solution based on compromise”, wrote the Ambassador to Mashego Dlamini.

He argued in this context that the Kingdom has always been involved in providing support to brotherly African countries in their struggle for independence. “South Africa has witnessed this in the most concrete way even with the avowal of the late President Nelson Mandela”, he said, arguing that “the financial, military and political support of the Kingdom of Morocco was decisive in the paths taken by anti-colonial and anti-apartheid history ”.

Amrani continues that “Morocco cannot be wrongly accused of the same evil that it fought against with strength and determination, both internally and continentally”.

The diplomat recalled, in this regard, that the so-called recognition of the alleged “RASD” by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) is not the result of a decision or of an African will, but that of “the serious violation of the constituent charter of our institution”.

“Without a vote or procedure, the pseudo RASD has forced the organization into political processes that do not honor international legality or the principle of African unity”, he said.

The Moroccan Ambassador also noted that the Pan-African genesis and momentum cannot be reduced to the creation of the OAU in 1963, arguing that this creation is the crowning of an approach of solidarity, union and fraternity carried by African leaders and founding fathers of the institution who, years ago, had met in Casablanca in 1960 under the leadership of Morocco and the late King Mohammed V.

Amrani did not fail to point out that if there is one place where politics must “bow to scientific and academic rigor”, it is indeed on the university bench, “where our youth, our primary wealth, builds a critical mind based on knowledge and not preconceptions”, explaining that “there is a necessary distinction to be made between sensitivities and facts, between judgments and history and therefore fundamentally between ideologies and truths”.

The diplomat says he always believed that the commitments of the two countries had to be made consistent in order to promote the desired dynamics. “The responsibilities incumbent on us go far beyond short political views and alliances of circumstances”, since Morocco and South Africa “share a common destiny, because they have a shared African identity, a history to honor and a future to build”, he concludes.

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Jerry Matthews Matjila, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the UN, whose country chairs the Security Council this month, tried to incorporate the Moroccan Sahara file into the council’s agenda for the month of December, but his attempt was unsuccessful in convincing the Member States.

Upon assuming presidency, the South African ambassador had expressed his desire to tackle the issue of Guergarat crossing border in a press conference he held on the same day. This shows that Algeria and the Polisario were counting on their South African ally to raise the issue within the Security Council, following the failure of Algeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sabri Boukadoum, in drawing the African Union’s attention to the Saharan matter.

It is known that South Africa, along with Algeria, is considered an important ally of the separatist Polisario Front, and does not miss any opportunity to show its support. This has been more emphasized since Algeria’s recent international isolation, and its utter failure in inciting countries against Morocco following its military operation in Guergarat; an action that was widely endorsed within the international community.

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