Despite lobbying attempts by Algeria and the separatist group Polisario, the US continues to reaffirm its position on the Western Sahara dispute in favor of Morocco’s stance.
In a recent move to reinforce support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, particularly in the face of skepticism from observers, the US embassy shared a post displaying the full map of Morocco with its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
“Last week at the UN General Assembly, #Morocco joined @USAID and @UNICEF to launch the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future – committing to eliminate sources of lead exposure and mobilizing action to end childhood lead poisoning by 2040,” the embassy posted.
Although the post did not directly address the US position on the Sahara, the visuals used by the embassy appeared to reaffirm Washington’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity by displaying the country’s undivided map.
This development comes amid Algeria’s ongoing lobbying efforts in Washington, where it has been attempting to convince US President Joe Biden and his administration to reverse the December 2020 proclamation recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces.
Yet the US has consistently maintained its position, with the US State Department once again reiterating support for Morocco’s territorial integrity in a statement on Tuesday. The State Department notably described Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as a practical solution to the long-decade dispute, stressing: “The United States continues to view Morocco's Autonomy Proposal as serious, credible, and realistic.”
In addition, the statement renewed the US support for the UN-led political process aimed at reaching a lasting resolution to the Sahara dispute.
The State Department readout followed consultations and discussions between Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita and Secretary Antony Blinken in Washington. During the meeting, both officials commended the long-standing bilateral ties and cooperation at all levels, including trade under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Morocco signed the FTA with the US in 2004, making the country the first in Africa with such a cooperation agreement with Washington.
“Morocco is an essential partner of the United States, and I highly value the relationship between our two countries,” Blinken said following his meeting with Bourita.
The Moroccan FM echoed the same sentiment, saying: “We are partners for peace. This partnership is all the more vital in a context marked by escalations in the Middle East and problems in the Sahel, Libya, and Europe.”
This development comes as Algeria continues to host the Polisario Front in the Tindouf camps, while financing and arming the separatist group in support of its claims of independence and self-determination in Morocco’s southern provinces. On Monday, Morocco’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN Omar Hilale delivered a strong-worded speech in which he drew attention to Algeria’s direct involvement in the dispute while describing Polisario as a terrorist militia bent on challenging Morocco’s security.
“Every single day for half a century you [Algeria] have allowed them to cross your borders to attack us,” Hilale noted, adding: “It is Algeria that created the Polisario, it is Algeria that finances the Polisario, it is Algeria that pays the Polisario, and it is with Algerian passports that Polisario separatists travel around the world.”
As Algeria pursues its largely futile goal of derailing the newfound US-Moroccan alignment on the Sahara dispute, US government websites such as the State Department have already moved significantly to displaying Morocco's full map of Western Sahara.