President William Ruto says Kenya has rescinded its move to recognise the breakaway Sahrawi Arab Republic (SADR).
In a statement on Wednesday, September 14, President Ruto said he cut ties with SADR adding that Kenya will continue supporting Morocco.
Ruto, who took an oath of office on Tuesday, September 13, further announced the immediate closure of the Sahrawi Embassy in Nairobi.
“Kenya rescinds its recognition of the SADR and initiates steps to wind down the entity’s presence in the country,” President Ruto said in a Tweet.
Ruto said that the country was distancing itself from acknowledging the independence of SADR saying that Kenya only supports United Nations (UN) peace initiatives in the region.
“Kenya supports the United Nations framework as the exclusive mechanism to find a lasting solution to the dispute over Western Sahara,” William Ruto said.
The remarks of the president come barely a day after SADR President Brahim Ghali was among leaders who attended President-Elect William Ruto’s inauguration at the Moi Sports Centre, Kasarani.
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic also known as Western Sahara, is a partially recognized state recognised by 41 UN member states, of which Kenya is also a member.
In 2014, William Ruto’s predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta accredited Mr. Bah Med as the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in Kenya.
During its presidency of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) in February, Kenya prioritized discussions on the contested Western Sahara territory with President Uhuru Kenyatta convening high-level talks on February 16.
“A meeting at the Heads of State and Government level will be held on 16th February which among other things will discuss the situation in Western Sahara and follow up on the Nairobi declaration on Terrorism and Violent Extremism,” the ministry of Foreign Affair outlined in a detailed agenda document on February 7.
It is one of the two African states in which Spanish is a significant language, the other being Equatorial Guinea.
