Donald Trump’s claim to have brokered the deal is made all the more ridiculous by the well-know reality that Tel Aviv and Rabat have secretive military relations dating back decades – to the time they were both in league with the apartheid regime.

In those Cold War days Morocco was being armed by Pretoria and Israel cooperated with apartheid South Africa in developing a nuclear weapon.

Both countries justifiably feel deep shame about this now and speak of it either with reluctance or try to deny it.

The surprise in yesterday’s announcement by President Trump is his recognizing what he calls Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.

This amounts to him flying in the face on international condemnation of Morocco’s 1995 invasion of the former Spanish territory and its illegal occupation of it since then.

Britain, America’s permanent Western partner on the United Nations Security Council, who joined in scolding Morocco 45 year ago, hastened today to stress that its position on Western Sahara has not changed.

It is holding Morocco to its promise to hold a referendum on self-governance for the territory.

That was a condition of the 1991 ceasefire ending Morocco’s 16 year war with Polisario, the Western Sahara liberation movement.

The African Union also hastened to emphasize that Western Sahara is a founder member of the continental grouping having been admitted to its predecessor the Organization of African Unity.

Morocco stormed out of the OAU when this happened and shunned Africa until it recently joined the AU as a fellow member with the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.

King Mohammed VI, Morocco’s absolute ruler, has clearly opted once again to turn his country’s back on Africa to take up with Israel and the lame duck Trump administration in the United States.

It remains to be seen whether President Joe Biden will persist with the maverick position on Morocco which is at odds with international opinion.

The ruling African national Congress in South Africa which currently occupies the  chair of the African Union says: “It is regrettable that outgoing President Trump in his last days in office tries to cement his legacy of reactionary foreign policies, that does not contribute to peaceful resolutions of conflict in  the world, but in fact fuels hatred and conflict.”

It “calls on all international and progressive forces on the continent and in the world to condemn this deal and continue to work for the implementation of UN and AU resolutions.”

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From the United Nations Security Council down to the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States neighbouring Mali there are demands for a return to constitutionality.

The putschists insistence that they have no interest in political power and that they will move the country to democratic elections “within a reasonable time” does not cut it.

ECOWAS states have closed their land and air borders to the landlocked state.

Presidents Muhammadu Issoufou of Niger, Macky All of Senegal, Nana Akufo Addo of Ghana and Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire are headed for Mali to impress on the group of colonels who have arrested President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and his Prime Minister Boubou Cisse that they will be shunned until constitutionality is restored.

The African Union has suspended Mali’s membership in accordance with its policy of red-carding any unconstitutional change of government.

Defence of this principle is paramount at this political moment in time. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko faces opposition demands to quit after a rigged election and the nominal leader of the free world, President Donald Trump will not commit to acknowledging defeat if he loses the November election in the United States. 

With democracy under attack we are reminded that is an imperfect system. As Winston Churchill told us with stark humour it is better than all the rest. If we embrace it, recognizing the will of people is its very bedrock.

If that has been tampered with there is machinery, albeit frustratingly cumbersome and slow, to deal with it.

But moving in therapy is never the answer.

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Special envoy of the United Nations Secretary General to the Great Lakes Huang Xia urges the international community not to let up on its support for the region.

Huang Xia says the number of coronavirus infections in the Great Lakes approaches 5 000. COVID 19 has killed 131.

The strict travel restrictions and quarantine has brought agriculture, mining and transportation to a standstill in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan. 

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The report from the watchdog  comes as the United Nations Security Council votes for a lasting ceasefire in the disintegrating North African country.

Human Rights Watch says it traced remnants of cluster bombs dropped by Khalifa Haftar’s forces on a residential suburb of Tripoli.

The United Nations is concerned that Haftar’s fighters have not given permission for humanitarian flights to land in Tripoli.

With Russia abstaining, the UN Security Council has adopted the decision of last month’s Berlin Conference on Libya.

It calls for a last ceasefire that would necessitate all foreign actors staying out of the process to bring peace to the country that has been in turmoil since the fall of dictator Muammar Gadaffi  nine years ago.

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He and eight other Ogoni activists were hanged after a secret military tribunal found them guilty of the murder of four Ogoni chiefs by a mob.

The execution was directed by Nigeria’s then military ruler Sani Abacha.

Britain’s Prime Minister in 1995 John Major called it judicial murder and considered punitive measures with his then US counterpart Bill Clinton. 

South Africa’s recently elected President Nelson Mandela denounced Abacha as “an insensitive  frightened dictator  who used a kangaroo court to execute innocent men.”

Mandatory action by the United Nations Security Council was ruled out because of the danger of it being blocked by China and Russia.

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The new leadership insists it won’t extradite deposed president Omar El Bashir to the International Criminal Court but says he may stand trial in Sudan.

African Union Commission head Moussa Faki says the unconstitutional removal of Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir is inappropriate.

He cites the 19-year-old Lomè declaration excluding from workings of the continental body any government that has seized power unconstitutionally.

United Nations Security Council members have been briefed on developments as the world powerhouse prepares to get involved in Sudan.

The military council, facing defiance from pro-democracy activists. says its only concern is public order.

It says it may not stay in power for a full two-year-term if the transition to civilian rule goes smoothly. 

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The statement by  the Department of International Relations and Cooperation calls on the United Nations Security Council to restore an integral part of Syrian territory seized by Israel 46 years ago.

As a member of the United Nations Security Council, South Africa is joining the international community in expressing concern at the Trump administration’s decision.

Israel’s seizure of Golan in the 1967 war and its subsequent annexation of the heights was swiftly condemned by the world body and has repeatedly been described as a serious violation of the UN Charter, international law and applicable UN resolutions.

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Its representative Jerry Matjila calls on both Russia and Ukraine to adhere to the conditions of the 2015 Minsk Agreements designed to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the region following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula

Pointedly South Africa hasn’t joined the statement  by the five current European Union members on the UN Security Council accusing Russia of continuing to fuel the conflict in Ukraine

Neither has it supported the  Russian line that Ukraine is being used by the West in a geopolitical chess game.

Ambassador Jerry Matjila urged the parties to refrain from actions that could be viewed as provocative, and which may further impede a peaceful resolution to the situation, in line with the Minsk agreements.

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Leaders of the 55-nation continental grouping voted to pass this ceremonial role to South Africa when Egypt’s turn ends in 2020.

South Africa will be serving the second year of its rotating membership of the United Nations Security Council next year.

So having the presidency of the African Union will give South Africa a particularly significant international role.

The last time South Africa held the AU leadership was in 2002 when Thabo Mbeki was president.

Cyril Ramaphosa, who is expected to be South Africa’s president next year, is already being pushed to campaign for  human rights – particularly in Africa – if and when he succeeds Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah El Sisi who is expected to emphasize security and peacekeeping during his AU presidency 

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It see a clear link between these companies and the recruitment of mercenaries destabilising African countries.

South Africa’s ambassador to the United Nations Jerry Matjila says South Africa’s legislated against the recruitment of mercenaries.

Speaking at the UN Security Council debate on the damaging impact of mercenaries in Africa, Matjila calls for ratification  of the 1989 international convention against the recruitment, financing, training and deployment of mercenaries.

He also calls for implementation of  the 1977 African Union resolution on the elimination of mercenaries.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the meeting mercenaries remain active in a number of African conflicts, threatening regional peace and security.

It requires bilateral cooperation and security sharing to combat this evil.

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