Morocco alliance central in US push to call Polisario Front terrorists

US Congressman Joe Wilson has introduced legislation to designate the Algeria-backed Polisario Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in support of Morocco, The North Africa Post reported on June 27th.

In a post shared on June 26th on his X account, Wilson described the Polisario as “a Marxist militia backed by Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia providing Iran a strategic outpost in Africa and destabilizing the Kingdom of Morocco, a U.S. ally for 248 years.”

The Republican representative said he was “grateful to introduce bipartisan legislation with Democrat Representative Jimmy Panetta to designate the Polisario a foreign terrorist organization.”

The move follows earlier calls by leading experts and politicians from the US, UK, France, Latin America, European parliaments, and the Arab world for Washington to list the group as a terrorist entity. These appeals date back to Trump’s first term of presidency and cite concerns about the Polisario’s alleged destabilizing activities in Morocco.

On June 1st, a joint communiqué between the UK and Morocco,  British Foreign Secretary David Lammy claimed that the UK “considers Morocco’s autonomy proposal…a viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute.”

Western Sahara saw a breach of ceasefire in 2020 and has witnessed conflict between Morocco, which claims sovereignty over the territory, and the Indigenous Sahrawi people, led by the Polisario.

Several think tanks, including the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and the Hudson Institute, have published reports outlining legal grounds for the FTO designation.

According to some analysts, the designation of the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization is becoming increasingly likely. Reports have described the development as a “nightmare scenario” for Algeria’s leadership, which supports the group.

A growing narrative among these sources suggests that the Algerian regime is facing international isolation, regional setbacks, and increasing pressure over its support for Polisario militias.

The North Africa Post