Morocco asks to re-join African Union after 4 decades
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The African Union says Morocco has officially submitted a request to join the continental body again after more than four decades.
An AU statement Friday says a Moroccan foreign affairs adviser handed a copy of the request to African Union Commission Chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Thursday.
The statement says Dlamini- Zuma said member states will be informed and Morocco's king will be notified of the outcome.
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Morocco quit the AU in 1975 after disagreements over Western Sahara, which the AU recognizes as an independent state.
Morocco annexed the mineral-rich Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, in 1975 and considers the region to be its "southern provinces."