Western Sahara: US advisor appears to dismiss Polisario Front

Massad Boulos, a senior advisor to US President Donald Trump on Arab and African Affairs, issued a warning to Algeria, according to the Moroccan government-friendly North Africa Post and agencies on October 29th.

In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Boulos praised Morocco’s “constructive role” in resolving the Western Sahara dispute, and called for “lasting peace”, yet he omitted any mention of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front. He had previously told the broadcaster of his optimism regarding the resolution of tensions between Morocco and Algeria on October 27th.

Regional observers regard this omission as significant because it could be interpreted as the US not recognising the legitimacy of the Polisario Front, a militia group that claims to fight for self-determination for the Sahrawi people, whose ancestral homeland is the disputed Western Sahara region.

The Polisario Front claims to fight against what it calls the “Moroccan occupier” and calls for the independence of the Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The group, which receives funding from Iran, was established in 1973 with the aim of ousting the Spanish occupation through armed struggle.

Spanish colonial rule ended in 1975 when Spain allowed for the partitioning of the territory between Morocco and Mauritania. The latter relinquished its claim to the area in 1979 after the Polisario Front waged war against both countries.

The territory is currently under Moroccan control, which claims sovereignty over the region.

Morocco proposes granting the Western Sahara limited self-governance under Moroccan sovereignty, and the proposal has been supported by 130 countries as of October 30th. Britain, the US, and France are among the countries that support Morocco’s “Autonomy Plan.”

However, Polisario Front reportedly rejected this plan on October 27th, accusing Morocco of an illegal military occupation of the territory. The group demands the creation of a fully independent state for the Sahrawi people.

Legislation to designate the Polisario Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in the US was introduced on June 26th, with Morocco’s alliance with the US being central to the push to classify the group as terrorists.

The US deadline for the “Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act” expired on August 24th, which would have required US Secretaries of State and Treasury to assess whether the group met the criteria to be designated as a terrorist organisation. The act detailed the group’s leadership, activities, alleged foreign ties, and alleged ties to extremist organisations.

However, the US is not the only country to reject the Polisario Front’s legitimacy as a representative of the Sahrawi people, as a January 7th report suggested that 46 countries had severed or suspended their ties with the group.

Morocco and its allies have accused the separatist movement of exploiting Western Sahara residents and limiting their political freedoms. Designating the group as a terrorist organisation would lead to economic and political sanctions for its supporters.

North Africa Post and Agencies, Maghrebi.org