NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- President Donald Trump said Morocco is naming a 1,055-kilometer (660 mile) highway in the Western Sahara after him, seemingly reflecting his landmark recognition of the kingdom’s rule of the disputed territory in 2020 that helped spur an investment boom.
A video posted by Trump on Truth Social on Sunday showed sweeping desert landscapes and parts of the roughly $1 billion thoroughfare linking the cities of Dakhla and Tiznit, crossing an area Morocco considers part of its southern provinces.
The clip described the “President Donald J. Trump Highway” as one of Africa’s longest roads, stretching across 7% of the continent’s Atlantic coastline. It will form part of a wider network linking West Africa through Morocco to the southern shores of the Mediterranean.
“Thank you to Highly Respected Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco — Such a Great Honor!” Trump wrote in his post. “I look forward to traveling the entire length of this Great Highway someday, hopefully soon!”
Bloomberg
Morocco hasn’t officially confirmed the naming, and a government spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment. The move would further cement the US leader’s close connections with a country that’s long been one of Washington’s top allies in North Africa.
The Western Sahara, a resource-rich area roughly the size of the UK, has been disputed between Morocco and an Algeria-backed armed independence movement since colonial ruler Spain withdrew in 1975. It’s largely controlled by Morocco, whose claim won Trump’s endorsement as part of a deal that saw the kingdom re-establish ties with Israel.
France and Spain later followed suit, accelerating a development boom that includes a $1.3 billion deep-sea port, tourist resorts and green-energy facilities. Hollywood movie director Christopher Nolan filmed parts of The Odyssey around Dakhla last year, earning the ire of the Polisario Front, an armed group that claims to represent the indigenous Sahrawi people and seeks a referendum on independence.
“Under the visionary leadership of his majesty King Mohammed VI and thanks to the historic courage of President Donald J. Trump, the Moroccan Sahara has entered a new era in the pursuit of peace, dialogue and prosperity,” says the video, which also included archive footage of the two meeting.
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