In the United States, the noose is tightening around the Polisario. Lobbying efforts to label the separatist movement as a terrorist organization are beginning to bear fruit. Following Congressman Joe Wilson and the Washington Post, an American think tank is now advocating against the Polisario. Following recent statements by Congressman Joe Wilson and an article in The Washington Post, the Washington-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is now examining the ties between the Polisario Front, the Iranian regime and its Arab-world allies—particularly Lebanese Hezbollah—as well as Algeria's role in this complex network. According to the FDD, «Polisario's presence in Syria, fighting on behalf of the fallen, Tehran-backed regime of Bashar al-Assad, indicates the extent to which it functions as an Iranian proxy». The think tank, known for its neoconservative leanings, also recalls that in 2020 the United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, rejecting the Polisario's separatist claims. The FDD notes that in 2018, Morocco accused Tehran of providing financial and logistical support to the Polisario via Hezbollah. «This month Hezbollah sent (surface-to-air) SAM9, SAM11 and Strela missiles to Polisario with the connivance of Iran's embassy in Algiers», declared Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at the time. Following this revelation, Morocco severed diplomatic ties with Iran. The report further highlights Algeria's role in supporting the Polisario: «Algeria bankrolls the Polisario Front, arms it, issues passports to its members, and hosts its leadership in the Tindouf refugee camps near its border with Morocco. Polisario operates with significant backing from the Algerian regime, which uses it to exert pressure on Morocco». A Call for a U.S. Consulate in Dakhla As part of its call to designate the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization in the United States, the FDD points to a series of rocket attacks. «In November 2024, Polisario fired rockets at a festival commemorating Morocco's 1975 'Green March', which saw 350,000 Moroccans march into the territory to remove Spanish troops, which colonized the territory since 1847». Similar incidents were reported in October and November 2023 in Es-Smara. The report adds that «the Polisario's ties to extremist groups run deep». It cites Adnan Abu al-Walid al-Sahrawi—a notorious jihadist, former emir of the Islamic State in the Sahel, and former senior Polisario figure—who was killed by French forces in Mali in 2021. «His story reveals how Tindouf became a breeding ground for extremist militant organizations and a cross-border jihadist recruitment center for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Islamic State», the think tank asserts. The FDD also urges the U.S. to open a consulate in Dakhla, in line with President Donald Trump's declaration on December 10, 2020, recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara. On December 25, 2020, the U.S. State Department announced it had begun the process of establishing a consulate in the region. On January 10, 2021, former Deputy Secretary of State David Schenker and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita visited potential sites for the consulate in Dakhla. However, the U.S. Congress has yet to adopt the 2026 budget—which is expected to be marked by austerity—leaving the allocation of funds for the consulate uncertain. Following The Washington Post article, the Polisario accused Morocco and its lobbying networks of waging «a campaign of misinformation and distortion against the Sahrawi people», in what appears to be a defensive response to mounting international scrutiny.
