The French magazine Jeune Afrique emphasized today, Friday, the diplomatic momentum represented by the opening of consulates of brotherly and friendly countries in the southern regions of the Kingdom, referring to the recent inauguration of the Consulate General of Chad in Dakhla on August 14.
Jeune Afrique confirmed that “Chad is the latest country to join the increasingly growing list,” noting that “the opening of the Chadian consulate is also part of the Atlantic initiative launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI at the end of 2023, which aims to provide access to the Atlantic Ocean for the four landlocked Sahel countries (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad).”
The French magazine added that “the city of Dakhla now houses seventeen consulates, enhancing its dual status as a diplomatic hub and a gateway to Africa, thanks to its future port (Dakhla Atlantic Port), which will be one of the largest ports in the region.” Jeune Afrique noted that “in addition to Chad, the diplomatic quarter in this pearl of the Atlantic hosts the consular representations of Francophone African countries such as Djibouti (since February 2020), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (December 2020), Senegal (April 2021), Togo (July 2022), and Guinea (July 2023).”
It further stated that “English, Spanish, and Portuguese-speaking countries on the continent are not excluded,” as the city also hosts diplomatic representations from Gambia (January 2020), Liberia (March 2020), Equatorial Guinea (October 2020), Sierra Leone (August 2021), Guinea-Bissau (October 2021), and Cape Verde (August 2022), in addition to two Caribbean states (Haiti since December 2020 and Suriname since May 2022). A representation of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (consisting of seven member countries) was added in March 2022.
On the other hand, Jeune Afrique noted that the city of Laayoune also hosts twelve consulates.
The magazine recorded that Laayoune was chosen by Francophone African countries (Comoros in December 2019, Gabon and the Central African Republic in January 2020, Côte d’Ivoire and Burundi in February 2020), as well as English-speaking African countries (Zambia and Eswatini in October 2020, and Malawi in July 2021), not to mention São Tomé and Príncipe (Portuguese-speaking) in January 2020, and several Arab countries (the United Arab Emirates in November 2020, Bahrain in December 2020, and Jordan in March 2021).
