In the U.S. Congress, Pressure Mounts to Classify the Polisario as a Terrorist Organization
A new step has been taken in Washington in the political campaign aimed at denouncing the activities of the Polisario Front, a separatist movement supported for decades by the Algerian military regime. In the United States Congress, the bill calling for its designation as a terrorist organization continues to gain support, illustrating a growing awareness of the networks and questionable alliances surrounding the armed group.
Led by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, the legislative initiative, titled the Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act, aims to launch an official process to examine the possible inclusion of the Polisario on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations. The text also provides for the possibility of imposing sanctions on the movement and its international supporters.
The proposal has recently reached a new stage with the support of Republican Representative Claudia Tenney, elected from the state of New York, who has become the first female member of Congress to officially back the initiative since it was introduced in June 2025. With this new endorsement, around ten lawmakers are now supporting the bill, including Democrat Jimmy Panetta as well as several influential Republican representatives.
The initiative comes at a time when the activities of the Polisario are generating increasing concern in Washington. The bill calls on the Departments of State and Treasury to produce, within 90 days of its adoption, a detailed assessment to determine whether the separatist movement meets the legal criteria required to be designated as a terrorist organization.
The text also provides for the publication of a comprehensive report within six months of the law’s adoption. This report would analyze the Polisario’s leadership structure, its military operations, and its sources of funding, while also examining its alleged international connections.
Among the most sensitive issues is the question of the movement’s relations with certain actors in the Middle East. American officials have expressed concern about possible links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah, and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, organizations already designated as terrorist groups by Washington.
These concerns have been fueled by several reports in the international press suggesting possible Iranian military support for the Polisario, including training and access to certain military technologies, particularly in the field of drones.
For many observers, this legislative development also highlights the controversial role of the Algerian authorities, long accused of supporting the separatist movement politically, diplomatically, and logistically. In Washington, some lawmakers now believe that the Polisario issue goes beyond a simple regional dispute and may be connected to a broader network of alliances that could threaten stability in the Maghreb and the Sahel.
However, the bill includes a clause that allows for the suspension of potential sanctions. The President of the United States could decide to freeze their implementation if the Polisario commits to serious negotiations regarding the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco for the Sahara.
For supporters of the initiative in Congress, the message is clear: in the face of what they describe as destabilization strategies and opaque alliances maintained by the separatist movement and its backers, Washington may significantly toughen its position in the coming months.
Editorial team/le7tv
