The recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit, held on August 17 in Madagascar, was marked by tensions over the bloc's support for the Polisario, Africa Intelligence reported on Wednesday. Morocco's allies within SADC, led by King Mswati III of Eswatini, Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, and Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina, pushed back against efforts by South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia to secure strong support for the Polisario Front. According to the outlet, Rabat's supporters argued that the issue extended «beyond the regional framework», with financial risks at stake and, for Madagascar, diplomatic and economic considerations tied to its relations with Morocco. In the end, however, the pressure from Polisario supporters carried the day. Paragraph 15 of the summit's joint communiqué declared: «Summit re-affirmed its solidarity with the people of Western Sahara in their quest for self-determination. In this regard, Summit welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SADC and the Western Sahara/Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)», referring to an accord signed on April 2. Yet Morocco also scored a quiet diplomatic gain. After the summit closed, Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina reportedly sent his foreign minister to meet Moroccan ambassador Mohammed Benjilany in Antananarivo to reassure Rabat, Africa Intelligence noted. Madagascar had already opened an embassy in Rabat on November 27, 2024, and during bilateral talks in June this year, it voiced support for Morocco's autonomy initiative, welcoming the kingdom's «serious and credible efforts» toward resolving the Sahara dispute. Antananarivo could join other SADC members, including Comoros, Zambia, Eswatini, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Malawi that have already opened consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla. Just days before the summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tried unsuccessfully to persuade Eswatini's King Mswati III to reverse his pro-Morocco stance during a meeting on the sidelines of the African Water Investment Summit in South Africa on August 13–14, a Moroccan source told Yabiladi.
