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.

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Around the world international organizations,  governments and civil organizations look at how to improve the lot of the sixty-eight-and-a-half million forcible displaced people. That’e more than were driven from their homes by World War 2.

A third of these are Africans.

Every minute,  around the world, 20 people leave behind everything they own to escape war.

A third of them cross borders seeking shelter and safety.

More than half are displaced in their own countries.

South Africa is the new home to 88 000 refugees.

On June 20, the world looks at how best to deal with the plight of these people.

The Department of Home Affairs will be marking World Refugee Day with the the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the Pan African Parliament and the African Peer Review Mechanism.

The post Every minute around the world 20 people abandon everything to escape war appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Moussa Faki Mahamat will see President Jacob Zuma, the Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and other senior Government officials.

Moussa Faki Mahamat will focus on efforts to address some of the conflict and crisis situations on the continent; as well as on economic integration and development .

He’ll  meet with the heads of some of the South Africa-based African Union institutions: the Pan-African Parliament, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Planning and Coordinating Agency, the African Peer Review Mechanism, the African Commission of Nuclear Energy, the Pan-African University Institute for Space Sciences, the African Risk Capacity, the African Union Foundation and the Pan-African Women’s Organization.

The post AU Commission head on official visit to South Africa appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

Addressing the Pan African Parliament in Midrand, Victor Bockarie Foh says beating the deadly virus shows the need for an African rapid reaction medical presence.

ends intro

Victor Bockarie Foh says Sierra Leone understands how terrifying the Ebola outbreak was in his country and neighboring Guinea and Liberia.

So it has made peace with fellow Africans shunning the victims or being slow to come to their assistance.

He says the Pan African Parliament can play a role in building continental unity to prevent a recurrence of this.

For says Sierra Leon has ratified legislation to give the PAP lawmaking powers.

The post Sierra Leone’s forgiven countries that shunned it during the Ebola outbreak appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

He tells the Pan African Parliament in Midrand it is a shame that decades after Africa has beaten off colonialism, racism and apartheid one of its countries should continue to suffer at the hands of a continental neighbour.

Ends intro

Joaquim Chiassano is the African Union’ special envoy on Western Sahara.

Speaking to the continental parliament has says UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon was accurate in describing  Morocco’s 40-year occupation of the former Spanish colony.This has been UN language for decades.

He says a referendum giving the Saharwi the right to determine their future is the only solution to this imbroglio.

Morocco has itself agreed to this , says Chissano, but has reneged on its undertaking for fear of getting an answer it does not want to hear.

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