Mandla Mandela, the grandson of former president Nelson Mandela, is unfazed after Moroccan soccer fans mockingly referred to him as "little Mandela" over his recent speech calling for freedom in Western Sahara.

On 13 January, Mandela was a guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the under-17 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) being held in Algeria. He addressed football fans at the newly built Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers ahead of Algeria's match against Libya.

In his speech, Mandela called Western Sahara "the last colony of Africa". He called on people to "fight to free Western Sahara from oppression" in honour of his grandfather.

Morocco controls around 80% of Western Sahara and has pushed for its authority over the territory to be officially recognised. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, controls the remaining 20% as the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SARD). The SARD is recognised by the African Union as a full member.

Mandela's comments have been met with disdain by Morocco. The country's football federation wrote to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), stating that Mandela's statement violated CAF's rules on political involvement in football. CAF said it was investigating the matter.

On Tuesday, Raja Casablanca fans displayed a banner which read, "Little Mandela, the only colony left in Africa is Orania". This was in reference to Orania, the separatist town in the Northern Cape.

Mandela told News24 on Wednesday he was not surprised by the reaction of the Moroccans.

"It's an expected response after we have successfully prevented them from participating in CAF," he said.

Morocco are back-to-back defending champions of the under-17 CHAN tournament. But the Royal Moroccan Football Federation withdrew from the showcase a day before the tournament kicked off.

The federation said the team was refused permission to fly directly to Algeria. Flights between the two countries were suspended in 2021 as the two Arab League neighbours cut diplomatic ties.

Commenting on Morocco's absence from the tournament, Mandela said:

It's a victory for the collective who stand in solidarity with the Saharawi people.

Support for Western Sahara

President Cyril Ramaphosa and President William Ruto of Kenya were the most recent African leaders to reiterate support for the Saharawi and the SARD.

During SARD President Brahim Ghali's visit to South Africa in October, Ramaphosa vowed to "intensify international pressure so that the long-delayed referendum on the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara is held".

Western Sahara enjoys diplomatic relations with 41 United Nations member states. Its status is regarded as a case of incomplete decolonisation. Through the years, Algeria has supported Ghali's Polisario Front with military training, refugee asylum and money.

Morocco's claim to Western Sahara was recognised by the United States in 2020 under then-president Donald Trump. The US' support was in exchange for Morocco's recognition of Israel.

Mandela said he would issue a more detailed statement in the coming days.