On April 9, 2025, U.S. Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) introduced the 'Polisario Terrorist Designation Act of 2025' (H.R. 2666) in the House of Representatives. The bill calls on the U.S. Secretary of State to designate the Polisario Front, a Western Sahara independence movement, as a foreign terrorist organization. It also reaffirms U.S. support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, which the U.S. recognized as serious and credible under the Trump administration in 2020.
The bill cites the Polisario's alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah, as well as its blockade of the Guerguerat border crossing in 2020, as reasons for the designation. As of April 2026, the bill has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee but has not yet passed into law. The Polisario Front has denied any terrorist links and condemned the proposal as a violation of international law.
The move aligns with the U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, formalized in the 2020 Abraham Accords. However, the United Nations continues to view the Polisario as a legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people and has not designated it as a terrorist group. The bill has drawn mixed reactions, with supporters praising it as a boost to regional stability and critics warning it could escalate tensions in the Maghreb.
