Morocco named a 655-mile coastal expressway the “Donald J. Trump Highway” in a direct thank-you to the US president for formally recognizing Rabat’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
The move underscores Rabat’s ongoing diplomatic campaign to consolidate international control over the territory, with the highway connecting the city of Tiznit in Morocco to the city of Dakhla, hundreds of miles into Western Sahara. The dispute has long polarized the African Union, deeply dividing member states between Moroccan allies and backers of the pro-independence Sahrawi Republic.
Trump’s decision — brokered alongside the Abraham Accords in 2020 that also saw Morocco normalize ties with Israel — was a historic departure from decades of established US foreign policy. Washington had previously maintained a neutral stance on Western Sahara for decades.
The dispute over Western Sahara remains deeply tied to neighboring Algeria, the main backer of the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi’s nationalist movement and armed liberation group fighting for an independent state.
