U.S. Congressman Declares Polisario a Terrorist Group
On January 15, 2025, Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC 2nd District) delivered a speech during a session of the U.S. House of Representatives, focusing on international security and the threats posed by certain regimes and organizations. In his address, he referred to the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization.
Citing records from the deposed Syrian regime under Bashar al-Assad, Wilson asserted that the Polisario Front had sent militias for training in Syria. He also mentioned that the Polisario had recently invited members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and several other countries, to a summit, a move he suggested threatens the security of the United States’ NATO ally, Turkey.
Rep. Wilson accused the Polisario Front of collaborating with the Cuban government to destabilize West Africa, posing a significant threat to the Kingdom of Morocco, a long-standing American ally. He described the Polisario Front as a ‘murderous threat’ to Morocco. Notably, this is not Cuba’s first involvement in conflicts supporting Algeria. On October 22, 1963, hundreds of Cuban troops were deployed to Algeria, with Fidel Castro convinced that the United States sought to overthrow President Ahmed Ben Bella. To aid Algeria, Castro sent tanks and heavy artillery while Cuban forces covertly trained Algerian troops, often disguised in Algerian uniforms.
The congressman referenced former President Trump’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and stated that Trump would “reinstitute existing laws to protect American families with peace through strength,” implying an upcoming policy through strength towards the Polisario and Algeria, which likely will start by the designation of Polisario as a terrorist organization.
The Polisario, which receives over $1 billion USD annually from the Algiers military regime, is now part of an increased defense budget that will reach a staggering $25 billion USD in 2025, equivalent to 21% of Algeria’s GDP. This escalation has deepened the regime’s international isolation as it pursues hostile and violent campaigns against any criticism or opposition. It remains to be seen how the architects of the military regime in Algiers, namely Mohamed Mediene, Chafik Mesbah, Saïd Chengriha, Abdelkader Haddad and Hocine Oubelaïd, will respond to the US administration, once the Polisario has been categorized as a terrorist entity.
Abderrahmane Fares
