The US State Department said on Thursday that the US will open a consulate in Western Sahara following President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed region. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the process of opening the facility has begun.
The process includes finding and securing a suitable property for an assignment before hiring staff. It was not immediately clear when or where it would be open, but until then Pompeo said the US embassy in Rabat would run a virtual consulate to serve Western Sahara.
Trump announced on December 10 that the United States would recognize Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara as part of an agreement that the North African country would normalize relations with Israel. The Trump administration has given priority to securing such agreements between Arab states and Israel and has so far concluded four: the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Recognizing Western Sahara was a turning point in decades of US policy, and the move has been heavily criticized, not least by those in Western Sahara who have fought for independence and want a referendum on the future of the territory. The former Spanish colony, with an estimated population of 350,000 to 500,000, is believed to have significant oil deposits and mineral resources at sea.
The US decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has drawn criticism from both the UN and US allies in Africa and other countries. African observers have said it could destabilize the wider region, which is already fighting insurgency and human trafficking.
Former United States Secretary of State James Baker, who served as UN envoy to Western Sahara, has called it “an astonishing retreat from the principles of international law and diplomacy.”
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