Rabat – French politician Pierre Henri Dumont has joined the chorus of high-ranking figures who are demanding to designate the Polisario Front as a terrorist group.
Notably, Henri Dumont recalled a comprehensive analysis from the Hudson Institute, which shed light on Polisario and its maneuvers to destabilize a whole region by undermining Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces.
“The Polisario presents itself as a movement for self-determination. But it functions as a destabilizing militia-smuggling arms, indoctrinating young Moroccans and Sahrawis, and aligning itself with the strategic agendas of Iran, Russia, and China,” the analysis reads.
For Henri Dumot, who served as a former deputy of the French National Assembly, the Hudson Institute took a “fresh look at the Polisario Front.”
Recalling Algeria’s support for the Polisario Front’s separatism, the French politician said the Polisario Front has been a proxy for the Algerian regime and Iran.
“It threatens the peace and security of the region,” he said, concluding that the French government “must designate it for what it is: a terrorist organization.”
Demands calling for a similar act have intensified in recent days, especially amid the momentum Morocco has been gaining for its position on Western Sahara.
Many countries have explicitly stressed their support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most or the only feasible solution to end the dispute.
The US on April 8, described the autonomy initiative as the only path to close the dispute, while also emphasizing its unwavering support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.
The same position was echoed by France a few days later from the US’ reaffirmation statement, with Paris noting that its newfound stance in favor of Morocco’s territorial integrity is unchangeable.
A group of EU countries followed with statements, reaffirming the viability and the importance of the Moroccan autonomy initiative as a serious and credible political solution.
In response, several international politicians called on their governments to build on this momentum by ending the Polisario Front and designating it as a terrorist group.
Republican Congressman Joe Wilson commended the US’ strategic alliance with Morocco, announcing that he will introduce legislation to designate the Polisario Front as a terrorist entity.
“I will introduce legislation to designate the Polisario as terrorists,” Wilson wrote on X earlier this month.
Liam Fox, former Secretary of State for Defense in the UK, made a similar demand last week, noting that labeling Polisario as a terrorist group is necessary due to its political agenda backed by the Algerian regime.
“Like Hamas and Hezbollah, the Polisario Front is an Iranian proxy organisation. For the sake of our Moroccan allies, Western governments must move quickly to designate this group as a terrorist organisation,” Fox wrote on X.
