The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is reinforcing its alliance with Morocco within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by distancing itself from the agreement signed on April 2 with the Polisario Front. The DRC's Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that «the memorandum of understanding signed is not a binding document and, as such, the Democratic Republic of Congo remains sovereign on this matter». The Congolese government reaffirmed its support for Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara and reiterated its backing of the Autonomy and Development Plan for the Southern Provinces proposed by Morocco to the United Nations, which it considers the most viable solution to the Sahrawi issue. It is worth recalling that in December 2020, the DRC inaugurated a consulate in Dakhla. A year earlier, the Union of the Comoros took a similar step by opening a representation in Laayoune. Zambia and Eswatini also established diplomatic missions in Dakhla on October 27, 2020. On June 21, 2021, Malawi—another SADC member—followed suit by setting up a consulate in Laâyoune. The DRC's move to repudiate the SADC-Polisario agreement comes at a time when South Africa is providing military support to Kinshasa in its fight against the M23 armed group, which is backed by Rwanda. In February, international media revealed that Pretoria had deployed between 700 and 800 South African troops to the DRC. During a national address on April 27, President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated his country's support for the DRC. At its extraordinary summit on March 13, SADC reaffirmed its commitment to supporting efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace and security in eastern DRC, in line with the 2003 Mutual Defence Pact. Malawi, the Union of the Comoros, Zambia, and Eswatini have also expressed their disagreement with the agreement signed with the Polisario. Regime changes in the DRC, formerly Zaire, have not disrupted the long-standing strong relations between Kinshasa and Rabat.
