Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed the importance of committing to UN Security Council resolutions over the Western Sahara dispute. In a speech during the African Union Peace and Security Council summit, Shoukry expressed support for efforts to reach a political reconciliation in accordance with the resolutions and efforts of the UN and the AU Troika mechanism on the Western Sahara, which was adopted in July 2018 during the Nouakchott Summit. He also stressed the necessity of continued calm on the ground to safeguard the region, accentuating that Cairo would spare no effort to provide assistance to the efforts related to the Western Sahara. The Western Sahara dispute – where the Polisario Front is opposed the Moroccan Kingdom – mounted after Washington recognised in December Morocco's sovereignty over the area. The recognition by former US President Donald Trump sparked anger by the Polisario Front, who had previously had a three-decade ceasefire in November with Rabat. Since then, the group announced frequent attacks on Moroccan forces along the desert frontier. Morocco says the attacks caused no casualties and led to limited damage. Shoukry also addressed the issue of climate change during the summit, highlighting that Africa is one of the continents affected most by the negative impacts for climate change despite having the least carbon emissions. He said that this requires concrete regional and international efforts to combat the phenomenon, taking into consideration its risks on the sustainability of peace and security in Africa. He also highlighted the impact of climate change on African countries' capability to provide and secure the water needs of its nations. Shoukry also discussed the challenges imposed by coronavirus on Africa, including a slowdown in economic growth and the erosion of development gains achieved in the past years.
