The return of Morocco into the African Union : a simple aspiration of a single country or a collective desire?

Although Morocco is no longer a member state of the African Union (AU), the country continues to maintain and wishes to eventually extend its diplomatic relations with a large number of African states, confirming a strong linkage to the continent throughout its history (Bencheikh 2013). This link recalls the issue of the Moroccan membership to the AU recently sponsored by different African Presidents such as Alassane Ouattara (Côte d'Ivoire), Macky Sall (Senegal) or Moncef Marzouki (Tunisia). Therefore a potential membership is rendered complex, if not impossible, at this time by the 'poisoning' issue of Western Sahara, a portion of territory that Morocco largely occupies and considers as an integral part of its national territory, causing its withdrawal from the former Organization of the African Union (OUA) in 1984 after the recognition of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) by the regional organization. The question is to determine whether Morocco can come back to the African Union despite the Western Sahara question and assess potential obstacles.