Africa’s wealthiest king ends busy August with AU summit after 63rd birthday, pardons and engagements spanning US, Colombia and China

The month is closing with Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch representing the monarch at an extraordinary African Union summit in Luanda, Angola, on August 30, where African leaders are discussing conflict prevention and security challenges across the continent.

The AU engagement follows several weeks in which Mohammed VI, Africa’s wealthiest king, combined domestic royal duties with significant developments in Morocco’s foreign relations, particularly around territorial disputes central to Rabat’s diplomacy.

One of the month’s most significant developments came from Washington, where US President Donald Trump reaffirmed recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in a message marking the 27th anniversary of Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne.

The development followed Morocco’s decision to name the 1,055-kilometre Tiznit-Dakhla expressway the “Donald J. Trump Highway,” recognising bilateral ties and Washington’s support for Rabat’s position on Western Sahara.

Morocco received another diplomatic boost days later when Colombia changed its position and recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

The announcement marked a reversal of Bogotá’s previous position and handed Rabat another international endorsement of its claim.

The Colombian decision was particularly notable because the country had previously backed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, proclaimed by the Polisario Front.

Another territorial dispute involving Morocco resurfaced during the month, this time involving Spain.

At an August 24 religious ceremony chaired by Mohammed VI at the Royal Palace in Rabat, Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq invoked Ceuta while discussing its historical and religious connections to Morocco.

The remarks renewed attention on Morocco’s longstanding claims involving Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish-administered cities on the North African coast.

Madrid responded by firmly rejecting any challenge to their status.

“Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish,” Spanish government spokesperson Elma Saiz said, describing the cities as Spain’s southern borders as well as borders of Europe.

At home, Mohammed VI turned 63 on August 21, when Morocco marked Youth Day, an annual national occasion associated with the monarch’s birthday.

The celebrations coincided with a series of royal pardons, including clemency for 935 people to mark the anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People, 807 of whom were in detention and 128 at liberty.

Another 667 people received pardons for Youth Day, including 526 prisoners and 141 people who were not in detention.

The monarch subsequently granted clemency to another 634 people for Eid Al Mawlid Annabawi, bringing the total number pardoned across the three August rounds to 2,236.

Mohammed VI’s engagements also extended to Asia, where he sent condolence messages to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nepalese President Ram Chandra Paudel following deadly floods along the China-Nepal border.

The messages added to a month already marked by diplomatic developments involving the United States, Colombia and Spain.

As August drew to a close, attention returned to Africa, with Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch travelling to Luanda to represent Mohammed VI at the extraordinary AU summit.

The meeting capped a month in which the king combined major domestic occasions with a series of diplomatic engagements across Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia.