Contrary to the «claims» circulated by Algerian media, the U.S. bill seeking to designate the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization is continuing to gain traction in Congress. Championed by Republican Senator Joe Wilson, the proposal has recently reached a new milestone. Since Democratic Representative Jimmy Panetta officially joined the initiative on June 24, three additional Republican lawmakers have voiced their support: Mario Diaz-Balart (September 18), Jefferson Shreve (October 8), and Randy Fine (October 24), according to the U.S. Congress website. These endorsements come as the UN Security Council discusses Resolution 2797 on Western Sahara. Among the new backers, Jefferson Shreve, a member of the influential House Foreign Affairs Committee, met with Morocco's ambassador to the United States, Youssef Amrani, on October 15. Randy Fine also serves on the same committee. Meanwhile, Mario Diaz-Balart, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, chairs the subcommittee overseeing the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, and is also active on the defense subcommittee. In April, he held talks in Washington with Morocco's Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita. Jimmy Panetta remains one of the bill's key supporters. Last July, Algeria reportedly attempted, through its ambassador Sabri Boukadoum, to persuade him to withdraw his backing. For his part, Foreign Minister Bourita met with Senator Joe Wilson, the bill's co-author, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last September, following an initial meeting between the two in April in Washington. Under U.S. law, the State Department has the authority to designate groups, movements, NGOs, or individuals as terrorist entities. In March 2025, the Trump administration used this provision to re-list Yemen's Houthis as a terrorist organization after their earlier removal by the Biden administration.
