The Moroccan people will soon traverse the Donald Trump Highway. This morning, King Mohammed VI declared that the Tiznit-Dakhla expressway would carry the name of the former US president, honoring his historic 2020 decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahrawi territory.
Why this tribute to Trump?
In a letter dated July 2, the monarch described the move as a gesture of « friendship and peace », stating that the American leader’s support would « forever remain etched in Morocco’s memory ». The 1,055-kilometer coastal highway, spanning from Tiznit to Dakhla, is now the longest road infrastructure in Africa, connecting key cities and economic zones.
The Sahrawi issue—a former Spanish colony since 1975, rich in phosphate and fishing resources—has been a longstanding territorial dispute. While the Moroccan government administers most of the region, the United Nations still classifies it as a non-self-governing territory.
A pivotal diplomatic shift
In December 2020, Donald Trump broke with decades of US neutrality by endorsing Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Western Sahara, in exchange for the normalization of Moroccan-Israeli relations. King Mohammed VI’s decision to name the highway after Trump underscores the significance of this diplomatic milestone for Rabat.
The tribute was announced ahead of the monarch’s 27th accession anniversary, celebrated this week. In a public response, Trump reaffirmed his unwavering support for Morocco’s position on the Sahrawi matter, further solidifying the alliance between the two nations.
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