Former Spanish Minister of Defense José Bono described Polisario’s membership in the African Union (AU) as an “anomaly,” on Friday during the second international conference on dialogue and peace in the Sahara being, held in Dakar on Oct. 27-28.
Bono, who was also speaker of the Spanish Congress of Deputies, pointed out that the Pan-African institution recognized an entity that the United Nations itself does not recognize and endorse.
Bono voiced support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative which is gaining momentum by the day. He also praised the notable progress taking place in the southern provinces and how the local population is positively involved in the management of its own domestic affairs.
He underlined the Sahrawi residents’ mass participation in the country’s 2021 elections, with a turnout exceeding the national average.
The conference, organized in collaboration with the Dakar-based Centre Africain d’Intelligence Stratégique (CISPAIX), is attended by European, African, and Latin American personalities, international researchers and experts, journalists, and Sheikhs from the Kingdom’s southern provinces.
The first edition of this international conference was held in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, in September 2022.