TICAD 9: Ministerial meeting in Tokyo disrupted by Polisario elements

As Japan prepares for the 9th edition of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9), the preparatory ministerial meeting held on 23 August 2024 was disrupted by Polisario elements who infiltrated the meeting room with the Algerian delegation under false identities and carrying Algerian passports.

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development is an international forum on the theme of development in Africa, to which the Japanese government invites delegates from African countries that are members of the United Nations, as well as leading figures from international organizations, the private sector and civil society, to pool their efforts and contributions with a view to making an effective contribution to Africa’s development.

Not recognizing the pseudo-rasd, the Japanese government hastened to state that no invitation had been extended by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to either the polisario or the rasd. Japan also denied having issued visas to the so-called representatives of this fictitious entity.

The troublemaker who broke into the room, along with other members of the Polisario, gained access to Japanese territory with Algerian passports as members of the Algerian delegation. Once in the room, he took a placard bearing the name of the supposed Sahrawi republic out of his satchel and smuggled it onto the table.

Afterwards, the Japanese side solemnly clarified the situation in front of the supporters, pointing out that Japan does not recognize the entity known as the Saharawi Republic.

The use of deceptive means to mark their presence in international forums has become commonplace for the Polisario separatists, as usual with the assistance and support of Algeria. The use of this kind of means to mark its presence is a strong sign of the victory of Moroccan diplomacy in the context of the international dynamic of support for the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty.