Morocco Names Highway Between Tiznit and Dakhla After Donald Trump

Moroccan authorities decided to name the highway that connects the southern part of the country with the disputed territory of Western Sahara after American President Donald Trump.

It concerns the highway between Tiznit and Dakhla with a total length of 1,055 kilometers, which, according to Moroccan authorities, represents "the longest road infrastructure in all of Africa" and will bear the name "Donald J. Trump Highway".

Gratitude and diplomatic message

Moroccan King Mohammed VI, as announced, informed Trump of the plan already at the beginning of July. In the letter the king states that this is a way to thank him for the "historic recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over its Sahara in 2020, which will forever be engraved in the memory of Moroccans."

In December 2020, Trump endorsed the proposed autonomy plan for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty, in exchange for the normalization of relations between Morocco and Israel.

On his platform Truth Social, Trump thanked the king and wrote: "I look forward one day, and I hope soon, to traveling on this incredible highway."

Western Sahara, which was a Spanish colony until 1975, still has a disputed status: the United Nations considers it a "non-self-governing territory", while Morocco considers it its territory. The conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front has lasted about 50 years and resulted in thousands of victims.

The territory borders Mauritania and Algeria, covers an area of approximately 266,000 square kilometers and has around 650,000 inhabitants.

Photo: Daniel Torok / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)