Just days before Donald Trump's January 20 inauguration as President of the United States, a Republican senator has labeled the Polisario as a «terrorist» organization. During a plenary session of the US Senate, Senator Joe Wilson accused Russia, Cuba, and Iran of «actively destabilizing West Africa by supporting Polisario Front, a threat to the Kingdom of Morocco—an essential US partner». He emphasized that President Trump «stood with Morocco, recognizing Western Sahara as Moroccan». Wilson highlighted the Polisario's alleged military support for the regime of former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. He further noted that «last week, the Polisario welcomed PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) terrorists to a conference», causing concern for «our excellent NATO ally Turkey». Senator Joe Wilson's remarks have intensified the ongoing debate in Morocco, which has been advocating for years to have the Polisario classified as an international terrorist organization. This contentious issue was also brought to the fore in the European Parliament by French MEP Brice Hortefeux, a member of Les Républicains and former Minister of the Interior.
