11 Oct 2022

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has hailed the outgoing Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic ambassador, Mr Malainin Mohamed for his work in entrenching ties between Botswana and his country.

Bidding farewell to the envoy at the Office of the President on Monday, Dr Masisi said during his tour of duty, Ambassador Mohamed worked with labour and other civic organisations in Botswana.

The President asked Mr Mohamed to convey greetings to his Sahrawi counterpart, Mr Brahim Ghali and extend Botswana’s full support for the country’s struggle to maintain statehood.

For his part, Mr Mohamed said Botswana’s voice in support of the sovereignty of the Sahrawi Republic had been one of the most consistent.

He noted that the support had become amplified under Dr Masisi’s presidency.

“Botswana has shown to have the most progressive position in Africa over our country’s territorial and sovereign claims, even more than our traditional allies such as Algeria and South Africa.

We are grateful for this and for your efforts President Masisi, since the opening of our embassy in Gaborone came after your invitation,” said Mr Mohamed.

He said his three-year tour of duty had been short, made even shorter by the inactivity occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Mr Mohamed however expressed pride in having overseen the opening of his country’s mission in Botswana and becoming its first ambassador based in Gaborone.

His tenure had seen exploration of mutually beneficial investment opportunities as well as areas of potential collaboration, Ambassador Mohamed said.

The Sahrawi Republic is a full member of the African Union and is recognised by 41 UN member states as a sovereign state.

 Its territory is 20 per cent of the disputed Western Sahara landmass in the Maghreb region while the remaining 80 per cent is administered by Morocco, which also claims the Sahrawi Republic. Ends