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U.S. Representative Joe Wilson didn’t just tweet a foreign policy opinion — he lit a geopolitical fuse. In a single post, the South Carolina congressman called for what should’ve happened years ago: designating the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization. In doing so, he exposed what many in Washington have tiptoed around: Iran, Hezbollah and even Russia are using the Western Sahara conflict to burrow into Africa’s underbelly. It’s time we connect the dots, as Wilson rightly demanded.
“I agree with @SecRubio: genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution for the Sahara. I will introduce legislation to designate the Polisario as terrorists. Iran & Putin are gaining a foothold in Africa via Polisario. Connect the dots: axis of aggression.” — Rep. Joe Wilson, April 2025
This is more than a tweet. It’s a warning shot to America’s enemies and a wake-up call to U.S. policymakers. The Sahara isn’t just a “disputed” region anymore. It’s the new frontline of the axis of evil and their desert proxy, the Polisario.
Let’s stop pretending the Polisario is a harmless separatist group. They’re not freedom fighters. They’re Iran-backed mercenaries operating from Algerian soil, funded by Tehran’s Quds Force, trained by Hezbollah operatives, and increasingly useful to Moscow.
Credible intelligence — including U.S. and French reports — shows that Hezbollah operatives have trained Polisario fighters in the Tindouf camps in Algeria. Iran’s fingerprints are all over this. Their goal? Bleed Morocco, destabilize North Africa, and open a new corridor for jihadist infiltration and Russian disinformation.
This isn’t speculation. The former Iranian ambassador to Algeria, Amir Mousavi — a known Quds Force affiliate — was expelled by the Algerian government after revelations he was funneling Iranian aid and arms to Polisario units.
And the timing isn’t coincidental. As Morocco deepens ties with Israel and the U.S., the Iran-Hezbollah axis sees the Western Sahara as the perfect place to retaliate.
We cannot talk about the Polisario without naming their state sponsor: Algeria. The Polisario doesn’t exist without Algeria. The Tindouf camps are not refugee havens — they are military incubators for Iran’s newest proxies.
Algeria gives them weapons. Algeria gives them diplomatic cover. And Algeria, increasingly aligned with Russia and China, has no problem letting Hezbollah trainers operate on its soil — as long as the guns are pointed at Morocco.
So let’s be clear: A U.S. terrorist designation for the Polisario is also a diplomatic message to Algiers. Pick a side. The West — or the new Tehran-Moscow axis.
Joe Wilson didn’t invent this conversation — he just gave it teeth.
The Trump administration recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara in 2020. Since then, bipartisan momentum has been building. Marco Rubio called for stronger support of Morocco’s autonomy plan, which the U.S. now sees as “serious, credible, and realistic.”
But words aren’t enough anymore. The Sahara has become a battlefield for global influence, and the stakes are rising fast. Iran is sending drones to its allies across Africa. Russia is funding Wagner-style operations in the Sahel. And the Polisario is becoming their puppet.
Wilson is the first to say it out loud: we are no longer dealing with a regional issue — this is a national security threat for the United States.
Let’s not forget: Morocco is one of America’s oldest allies. The Kingdom was the first nation to recognize U.S. independence in 1777. Today, Morocco is a rare Arab nation that is pro-Western, pro-Israel, and anti-Iran.
It hosts U.S. military exercises. It shares intelligence with Washington. It fights terrorism across the Sahel. And it stands as a bulwark against the jihadist tide rising from the south.
Meanwhile, the Polisario destabilizes. It radicalizes youth in the Tindouf camps. It blocks regional cooperation. And now, it serves as a launchpad for Iranian infiltration.
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While Europe dithers, America can lead. Spain and France remain paralyzed by domestic politics and Algerian gas blackmail. The EU, as usual, is stuck in bureaucratic limbo.
That’s why Wilson’s move is so important: it breaks the silence. It forces action. And it puts the question plainly to Congress: Will we let Iran and Russia plant a flag in North Africa? Or will we stop it before it metastasizes?
Amine AyoubJoe Wilson didn’t just connect the dots — he drew the whole map. And that map shows a clear path from Tehran to Tindouf to terror. Every step funded by the same regimes we’ve spent two decades confronting.
In the battle for Africa’s future, the Western Sahara isn’t a side note. It’s the front line. And with Wilson’s declaration, the U.S. has a chance to take a stand.
- Amine Ayoub is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco.