The President of the United States, Donald Trump, today announced a project to build a highway that will bear his name and will connect the cities of Tiznit and Dakhla, the latter located in the occupied territory of Western Sahara.
The highway, budgeted at about 880 million euros, will stretch roughly a thousand kilometers, crossing coastal cities including El Aaiún, also in the area of Western Sahara controlled by Morocco.
The southern end of the highway, in Dakhla, will connect to the city’s Atlantic Port megaproject, currently under construction and expected to open in 2028.
In his speech, cited by Europa Press, Donald Trump thanked the King of Morocco, saying: “Thank you to the very respected Mohammed VI, King of Morocco. What a great honor. I hope I can travel this whole great highway someday. I hope it will be soon.”
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The former Spanish colony of Western Sahara was occupied by Morocco in 1975, despite armed resistance from the Polisario Front until 1991, when the two sides signed a ceasefire with a view to holding a referendum on self-determination.
Disagreements over the consultation and the inclusion or exclusion of Moroccan settlers have so far prevented the referendum from taking place.
The most recent setback for the Sahrawi people was the support of the Spanish and French governments for the Moroccan autonomy plan, a change of position described as a betrayal by the Polisario Front, which considers that Spain is still the administering power of Western Sahara.
Donald Trump has been a supporter of the Moroccan plan since he recognized Rabat’s sovereignty over Western Sahara at the end of 2020, shortly before the end of his first term.
