Morocco is intensifying its diplomatic outreach to member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), including those that continue to maintain «diplomatic» ties with the Polisario. The latest example came on Thursday in Rabat, where Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita held talks with the Speaker of the Tanzanian National Assembly, Mussa Azzan Zungu, on the sidelines of the African Ministerial Conference on the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) of child soldiers. After the meeting, Zungu reaffirmed to the press Tanzania's commitment to strengthening its cooperation with Morocco. This visit marks Zungu's first trip to the kingdom since his election as Speaker of the Tanzanian National Assembly on November 11. He had previously visited Rabat on September 5, 2022, in his former capacity as vice-president of the legislative institution, where he met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rachid Talbi Alami. In a related move, Nasser Bourita also met last September with Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly. Morocco's sustained engagement with SADC countries has already yielded significant diplomatic shifts. Several states, among them the Comoros, Zambia, Eswatini, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Malawi, have recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara and opened consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla. Madagascar, for its part, has voiced support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara.
