U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced Thursday that Washington supports investments in Western Sahara, a disputed territory where Morocco has been building infrastructure to attract foreign capital.
The decades-old conflict pits Morocco, which claims the region as part of its territory, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks independence.
“We will support U.S. companies looking to invest and do business in all of Morocco, including Western Sahara,” Landau wrote on X after meeting Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
Morocco, which holds a free trade agreement with the U.S. and runs a trade deficit, currently enjoys the lowest reciprocal tariff rate imposed under the Trump administration—10%.
Rabat has significantly increased investments in Western Sahara in recent years, spanning roads, renewable energy, phosphate mining, and a $1 billion port project.
In July, U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed Washington’s support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, describing Rabat’s autonomy plan as the only viable solution. France has since taken a similar stance, endorsing both Morocco’s sovereignty and investments in the territory. In June, the UK became the third UN Security Council member to back the autonomy plan under Moroccan authority.
Algeria and the Polisario Front condemned these positions, maintaining that only a referendum offering independence as an option can resolve the dispute.
The United Nations has described the conflict as low intensity and continues to urge both sides to pursue a political, mutually acceptable settlement.
Source: Reuters
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