A series of developments over the past week has revealed a deepening partnership between the United States and Morocco over Western Sahara, with infrastructure, clean energy and diplomacy converging around one of Africa's most contested territories.
Within days, Morocco announced that its $1 billion Tiznit-Dakhla Expressway would bear the name of U.S. President Donald Trump, Washington backed the first federally supported investment project in Western Sahara, and Trump formally reaffirmed U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory while outlining plans for deeper economic cooperation.
The developments mark one of the clearest indications yet that U.S. policy on Western Sahara is moving beyond diplomatic recognition toward economic engagement.
Western Sahara, a mineral-rich territory on Africa's Atlantic coast, has remained disputed for decades. Morocco controls most of the territory and considers it part of the kingdom, while the Algeria-backed Polisario Front seeks independence and has long pushed for a UN-backed referendum on self-determination.
The United States became the first major Western power to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara during Trump's first administration.
