Morocco accuses AU Commission chairperson of blocking its bid to rejoin AU

Morocco has accused African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of blocking its bid to rejoin the organization, local media reported on Thursday.

Last September, Morocco officially submitted a request to rejoin the African Union (AU) it left 32 years ago.

Citing a statement from the Moroccan Foreign Ministry, the daily Le Matin said that Morocco has strongly denounced the "continuing actions" of the chairperson of the African Union Commission to "thwart Morocco's decision to regain its natural and legitimate position within its pan-African institutional family."

"After unjustifiably delaying the distribution of Morocco's request to the AU members, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma continues her obstruction, by improvising a new and unprecedented procedural requirement in the texts and practices of the organization, and by which it would arbitrarily reject letters of support for Morocco from the ministries of foreign affairs of the AU member states," the statement said.

"The chairperson of the African Union Commission is at odds with her duty of neutrality, the rules and regulations of the organization and the will of its member states," it added.

The statement said Morocco has so far documented the support of a large majority of AU member states, "far greater than what is required by the Constitutive Act of the AU."

These members have already communicated to Zuma formal and legally valid letters of support for Morocco's decision to return to the pan-African organization at its next summit, the statement added. Endit