Diplomatic Outrage at AU Executive Council: Morocco Sparks Scandal by Seizing Sahrawi Flag

✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

In a blatant act of provocation and diplomatic misconduct, Morocco’s delegation steals Western Sahara’s flag during the 47th African Union Executive Council session, drawing fierce condemnation and calls for sanctions.

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Algiers, Algeria– Friday, July 11, 2025 | In an egregious display of contempt for African unity and diplomatic norms, the Moroccan delegation sparked a serious international incident during the 47th Session of the African Union Executive Council, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, by seizing and removing the national flag of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) from its designated place within the official conference hall.

The unprecedented act, which unfolded on Thursday, triggered a wave of outrage among attending delegations, many of whom viewed it as a deliberate provocation aimed at undermining the African Union’s cohesion and violating the diplomatic dignity of a founding member state of the continental bloc.

According to the Sahrawi Press Agency (SPS), individuals identified as part of the Moroccan delegation physically removed the Sahrawi flag, despite the clear visibility of official seating arrangements and protocols that affirm the SADR’s status as a full-fledged member of the AU. This act, widely condemned as thuggish and unlawful, is the latest in a series of destabilizing moves by Morocco since it rejoined the African Union in 2017, following decades of absence due to the organization’s firm recognition of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.

Delegations from multiple African countries suspended their participation in the session, refusing to continue discussions until the Sahrawi flag was restored to its rightful position, in what became a powerful collective rebuke of Rabat’s flagrant breach of diplomatic norms. The AU protocol service was compelled to intervene and immediately reinstated the flag, allowing proceedings to resume.

Representatives denounced the act as a “flagrant violation of diplomatic conduct and African unity,” demanding firm measures to ensure that such provocations are not repeated. “What occurred is not merely a symbolic affront—it is a direct assault on the sovereignty of a fellow member state and a stain on the integrity of the African Union as a unified political body,” one diplomat remarked.

In a strongly worded statement, SPS accused Morocco of pursuing a foreign-inspired agenda aimed at fracturing the African Union, obstructing its institutional work, and sabotaging its mission to serve as a unified geopolitical voice for the continent on the global stage.

The Sahrawi agency further urged the AU Commission and member states to take immediate disciplinary action against Morocco, describing its repeated infractions as “barbaric behavior unbecoming of any sovereign state, let alone a member of the Union.”