Marrakech \u2013 The seventh African Union-European Union Summit in Luanda has concluded with a joint declaration stressing territorial integrity and non-interference principles, even as Algeria orchestrated a calculated propaganda campaign exploiting Polisario\u2019s presence to mask its mounting diplomatic isolation.<\/p>\n
Adopted<\/a> November 24-25, the Luanda Declaration explicitly calls in paragraph 28 for respect of \u201cgood neighborliness, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, peaceful resolution of disputes, full respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty, right to self-determination.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet this right has been systematically distorted, hijacked, and grotesquely instrumentalized by Polisario, stripped of its legal meaning and repurposed as a separatist pretext rather than a genuine democratic mechanism.<\/p>\n What was conceived as a principle of inclusive political participation has been mutated into a tool of manufactured fragmentation, deployed to justify an artificial entity with neither demographic legitimacy nor historical grounding.<\/p>\n In doing so, Polisario has not only undermined the integrity of the self-determination norm but also weaponized it against the very foundations of territorial stability, committing an abuse that no credible international framework can recognize, validate, or morally endorse.<\/p>\n However, Algeria\u2019s myopic maneuvering transformed what should have been substantive continental cooperation into a theatrical display of concocted legitimacy for its separatist proxy.<\/p>\n Morocco\u2019s diplomatic restraint inadvertently provided Algeria with an unprecedented opportunity to stage-manage the visual narrative. The kingdom\u2019s decision<\/a> to send only Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka left a conspicuous vacuum that Algeria exploited with characteristic opportunism.<\/p>\n Algerian officials strategically positioned themselves alongside UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres while orchestrating Polisario leader Brahim Ghali\u2019s seating arrangement to create artificial parity with Morocco\u2019s delegation.<\/p>\n UN visuals gifted Algeria a manufactured propaganda triumph<\/b><\/p>\n The manipulative choreography reached its zenith when the UN spokesperson\u2019s official account published<\/a> photographs prominently featuring Ghali during the Secretary-General\u2019s address. This deliberate visual positioning represented a propaganda coup for Algeria, which desperately seeks to revitalize its faltering separatist narrative following devastating setbacks in international forums.<\/p>\n Algeria\u2019s machinations become particularly insidious when viewed against recent diplomatic reversals. The country has witnessed multiple African and Latin American nations withdrawing recognition of the self-proclaimed \u201cSahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR),\u201d leaving Algeria\u2019s proxy increasingly marginalized on the global stage.<\/p>\n The Luanda Summit provided a crucial lifeline for Algeria\u2019s hemorrhaging credibility, offering symbolic oxygen to a cause suffocating under international indifference.<\/p>\n The summit\u2019s substantive achievements \u2013 including commitments to the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package and enhanced cooperation on energy transitions \u2013 were overshadowed by Algeria\u2019s single-minded focus on symbolic victories.<\/p>\n While legitimate discussions addressed continental integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area and sustainable development partnerships, Algeria prioritized spurious photo opportunities over meaningful regional progress.<\/p>\n