MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2022) Tunisia has recalled its ambassador to Morocco for consultations after the same move made by Rabat, the Foreign Ministry said.
On Friday, Morocco recalled its ambassador to Tunisia after Tunisian President Kais Saied met with the leader of the rebel Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, also known as TICAD 8.
In a statement, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry pointed out its neutral position on Western Sahara, adding that it was surprised by the Moroccan reaction.
"In this regard, Tunisia decided to recall its ambassador in Rabat for consultations," the statement said.
Western Sahara, a former colony of Spain, was transferred to the control of Morocco and Mauritania in 1975. A year later, the Polisario Front, a local nationalist movement, proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic on the territory of Western Sahara. Since then, the Polisario Front has been fighting with the Moroccan forces over the control of the region. Currently, Morocco controls some 80% of Western Sahara, with 20% being under the control of the Polisario Front.
An UN-brokered ceasefire deal was reached in 1991, and the UN Security Council voted in favor of holding a referendum to define the status of the territory. However, the Moroccan authorities have since been opposing any vote that includes independence as an option, supporting the idea of limited autonomy only.
