WASHINGTON (AP) – The State Department said Thursday that the United States 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. This process involves finding and securing suitable property for a mission before hiring staff. It was not immediately clear when or where it would open, but by then Pompeo had said that the US Embassy in Rabat would operate a virtual consulate to serve Western Sahara.
Trump announced on December 10 that the United States will recognize Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara as part of an agreement for the North African country to normalize relations with Israel. The Trump administration has given priority to securing such agreements between the Arab states and Israel and has so far concluded four: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
The recognition of Western Sahara has been a reversal of decades of American politics, and the action 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 between 350,000 and 500,000, is believed to have considerable offshore oil deposits and mineral resources.
The US decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has drawn criticism from the UN, as well as American allies in Africa and beyond.
African observers said they could destabilize the wider region, already fighting Islamist insurgencies and migrant trafficking. Former US Secretary of State James Baker, who was sent to the UN in Western Sahara, called it “an astonishing withdrawal from the principles of international law and diplomacy.”