Rabat – Congressman Marc Veasey has thrown his weight behind the congressional bill calling on the US administration to designate Polisario as a terrorist group.
Veasey signed up his name on May 29, according to the US Congress.
The bill, submitted by Joe Wilson in June last year, now has 14 cosponsors in addition to Wilson.
When introducing the bill, Wilson cited Polisario’s documented history of ideological and operational ties with Iran.
The bill draws attention to Polisario’s collusion with Iran’s proxy Hezbollah, which has been documented to have trained the separatist group in Algeria.
The bill came against the backdrop of reports highlighting security concerns and Polisario’s threats, especially following Polisario’s repeated terrorist attacks against Morocco’s southern province of Es-Semara.
The US has been among dozens of countries that have strongly condemned Polisario’s attacks, describing them as a threat to regional stability and Sahrawi prosperity.
The US mission to the UN said Polisario’s actions are inconsistent with US-facilitated dialogue aimed at bringing the parties together to reach a mutually acceptable and agreed-upon solution to the Western Sahara dispute under the UN framework.
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The US mission recalled that the Autonomy Plan lays out the path to peace in Western Sahara.
“We call on all those resisting peace to genuinely commit to a brighter future. The status quo cannot continue,” the US mission said.
Well before the attack, the US officially expressed concerns over reports linking Polisario with Iran.
Monica Ager Jacobsen, Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT), publicly conveyed the US administration’s concerns during a hearing about US counterterrorism efforts in Africa in April.
“We share concerns about the Polisario Front and its impact in the CT space. What I can say with confidence in an open hearing is that the region where the Polisario Front operates sits near trafficking and militant activity in the Sahel and that this creates vulnerabilities that external actors, including Iran, could seek to exploit,” the US official said.
Her remarks followed condemnation from Senator Ted Cruz, who has also submitted a separate bill urging the US administration to designate Polisario as a terrorist group.
During the hearing, Cruz cited Iran’s outreach policy in Africa and its collusion with different groups to stabilize the region, including Polisario.
“In Western Sahara, Iran is actively working to turn the Polisario Front into the Houthis for West Africa. The Polisario Front works with the Iranian terrorist groups. It takes drones from the IRGC. It moves weapons and resources around the region, including to jihadists, and much more,” Cruz maintained.
