PanOrient News | Polisario to attend TICAD in Yokohama despite designations as ‘terrorist group’

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Polisario to attend TICAD in Yokohama despite designations as ‘terrorist group’

Sunday, August 3, 2025

(MOFA)

PanOrient News
By Fadwa Garcia
TOKYO-DAMASCUS-WASHINGTON: Japan will host the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) this August, where African leaders will discuss economic, social, peace and stability issues. Japan’s Foreign Minister IWAYA Takeshi announced that the conference will feature participation from both public and private sectors, with nearly 200 events organized by companies and NGOs. TICAD9 aims to leverage artificial intelligence and advanced technologies to foster mutual prosperity and cooperation between Africa and Japan.

More than 50 African countries have expressed their intention to participate in the TICAD summit. Minister Iwaya mentioned that Japan is in discussions with the African Union (AU) regarding the participation of the separatist Polisario movement, although he did not provide specific details. However, sources informed PanOrient News that "Japan has agreed to allow the Polisario Front to participate in the summit, with its delegation headed by Foreign Minister Mohemed Yeslem Beissat." This decision comes even though Tokyo does not recognize the movement officially.

Reports indicate that the Polisario's involvement in TICAD9highlights Japan's continued policy of overlooking the controversial nature of the Polisario's presence. The Polisario advocates for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco, with support from Algeria. This position is particularly significant given that various Japanese, European and American sources label the Polisario as a terrorist organization, even though Japan refuses to acknowledge this classification formally.

Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya stated last week that the Japanese government does not categorize any movements or organizations as terrorist. However, a report issued years ago by the Japanese National Police Agency classified the Polisario as a terrorist movement. The police have neither retracted nor denied this classification since then.

Recent Western media reports have labeled the Polisario's actions as terrorist operations. A Washington Post article suggested the group's ties to Iranian entities, likening it to Hezbollah and the Houthis as a proxy for Iranian interests in Morocco. The report noted that the Polisario could help counter the waning influence of Tehran-affiliated groups in Syria and Lebanon and indicated that Iranian arms smuggling routes might now extend to the Maghreb through the Polisario Front, whose fighters are said to have received training from Iran.

After the fall of the former Assad regime that was allied with Iran, the Syrian authorities closed the Polisario offices in the capital, Damascus. They affirmed their commitment to respecting the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco and rejected any form of support for separatist entities. Additionally, Syria expressed its firm intention to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Morocco and enhance regional stability.

The Polisario participated as a state, with the acquiescence of Japan, in the preparatory ministerial meeting for the most recent TICAD conference, which was held in Tokyo nearly a year ago. This official participation sparked international reactions when the Japanese conference presidency allowed the Polisario representative to place a nameplate reading "Sahrawi Republic" upon entering the meeting room. He was seated alongside African leaders, with the approval of the Japanese organizing authorities, as a representative of a de facto state.

During the meeting, a member of the Moroccan delegation attempted to remove what they deemed an "illegitimate" sign. In response, a member of the Algerian delegation confronted him, lifting him into the air before throwing him to the ground, in a scene that resembled a wrestling match. A video of this confrontation went viral on social media, attracting significant global attention to the Japanese TICAD session and reinforcing Japan's decision to support the Polisario's participation in TICAD.

The sources said that African and Western diplomats in Tokyo "have expressed serious concerns about the potential risks associated with the participation of the Polisario Front in the upcoming TICAD sessions." They fear that the meetings in Japan "could lead to confrontations, as members of the Polisario Front and its supporting nations might exploit the Japanese government's permission for a terrorist-designated separatist movement to participate as member states alongside African leaders."

On June 24, US Republican Representative Joe Wilson, along with Democratic Representative Jimmy Panetta, introduced a bipartisan bill to Congress to designate the Polisario Front as a "foreign terrorist organization." Wilson's bill underscores the bipartisan consensus on the issue. "The Polisario Front is a terrorist organization," Wilson wrote on his X account, adding that he views the Polisario Front as "a Marxist militia supported by Iran, Hezbollah and Russia, providing Iran with a strategic position in Africa and destabilizing the Kingdom of Morocco, a 248-year US ally."

The US bill directly accuses the Polisario movement of involvement in extensive arms and drug trafficking networks in the Sahel region of Africa, and points to deliberate violations of ceasefire agreements and premeditated attacks targeting Moroccan civilians in the Saharan border regions.

An article by Dr. Ari Pittajavaara in a Finnish newspaper last April discussed the alleged ties between the Polisario Front and Iran, suggesting they pose a threat to Europe. He argues that this relationship mirrors Iran's strategies with its proxies, like Hezbollah and the Houthis, raising significant concerns for the security of Europe's southern borders.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) released a policy report on April 17, highlighting Iran's expanding influence in North Africa, particularly in the Polisario-controlled Tindouf camps in Algeria. The report mentioned that a Polisario representative stated Iran would supply kamikaze drones to the group, underscoring the implications of Iran's rising presence in the region.

Pittajavaara states that Iran's motives are clear: following setbacks in Syria and a weakened Hezbollah, Tehran is seeking new opportunities near Europe's borders. The internationally isolated Polisario Front serves as a convenient and adaptable tool.

Japan designated the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization in a security report by the National Police Agency last decade and has not lifted this classification. Analysts view Japan's hosting of Polisario delegates at TICAD conferences as a double standard, potentially damaging Tokyo's credibility compared to other countries' partnership forums. This could lead to diplomatic tensions and affect Japan's international standing, especially since other nations exclude the Polisario from Africa-related conferences.

Diplomatic sources confirm that the Polisario's participation in the upcoming TICAD conference in Yokohama could imply Japan's recognition of the group as a sovereign state. This move may suggest to the international community that Japan is acknowledging a terrorist organization, potentially challenging established norms in international relations. (PanOrient News)