Morocco’s latest piece of diplomatic vandalism has met with a swift and embarrassing repost from the Pan African Parliament.
The mendacious Mediterranean kingdom sought to take advantage of the continental talkshop’s leadership paralysis.
Using PAP official stationery, a certain Roger Nkodo attacks the European Parliament for criticizing Morocco’s cynical use of refugees in a spat with Spain.
Nkodo purports to be a past president of the PAP and a goodwill ambassador of the African body.
Through its clerk, the PAP fired back: “Nkodo is is not a goodwill ambassador or a past president of the PAP and does not hold any position in PAP that entitles him to speak on behalf of PAP.
“His statement did not originate in PAP. It is his own personal statement without reference to or authority of the PAP.”
Morocco is well used to being slapped down by European countries for playing fast and loose with the truth.
In recent months Germany reminded the kingdom that it holds no legal authority of Western Sahara.
A Spanish court summarily dismissed a glaringly fake legal bid by Morocco to have the Saharawi President Brahim Ghali tried for human rights abuses.
Madrid rejected Moroccan criticism for allowing Ghali to receive treatment for COVID in a Spanish hospital.
Morocco responded angrily to this by removing its guards around the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, allowing thousands of Moroccan refugees to stream onto Spanish territory.
The European Parliament rapped this action by Morocco.
Morocco has recently return to the African family, decades after storming out of the OAU when it recognized the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic which has been illegally occupied by Morocco since 1975.
It is seeking to establish stronger ties with African countries, using its revenue as the largest importer of dagga into Europe.
It has skin in the game of the PAP leadership imbroglio, providing finance and private jet for the Malian candidate Haidra Aichata Cisse.
Undercover payments are not uncommon in African politics where they are euphemistically known as pot au vin or matabiche.
It remains to be seen how long African leaders will tolerate their new member’s bare faced lies.