Ex-Rebel Chosen for Morocco Post
King Hassan II of Morocco on Wednesday appointed as ambassador at large Ibrahim Hakim, former foreign minister of the self-styled Saharan Arab Democratic Republic, who defected to Morocco last month.
The surprise appointment came the day after Hakim chaired a news conference given by eight other defectors of the Polisario Front, the guerrilla group that has been fighting Morocco for independence of Western Sahara since 1976.
For 10 years Hakim was foreign minister of the Polisario’s political arm. He was viewed as an effective diplomat who was instrumental in getting the self-proclaimed republic recognized by more than 70 nations.
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