Foreign Minister of Presidential Council, Mohammed Siyala, has refused to sign the protocol attached to the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement (AFCFTA) on the freedom of movement of people and the right of residence.

The AFCFTA agreement was signed by 44 countries out of 50, but the Free Movement Protocol attached to it was only signed by 29 African countries.

The agreement was signed at the 10th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.

The Media Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Siyala’s rejection to the Free Movement Protocol, stating that he only signed the Kigali Declaration on the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.

Algeria, Mauritania, Tunisia, Egypt and a number of other countries also rejected the same protocol for fear of mass migration from sub-Saharan Africa to the north coast.