Biden administration uses undivided Morocco map 'confirming Trump-era Position on Western Sahara'

The US State Department has published an undivided map of Morocco, included the disputed territory Western Sahara, renewing once again its pro-Moroccan position regarding the conflict.

In December 2020, Morocco normalised ties with Israel in exchange for American recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the former Spanish colony, signing up to the Abraham Accords, the last major decision under the Donald Trump administration.

The move angered the Polisario front, a movement seeking independence for the territory, and its oldest ally Algeria, which have been since lobbying to reverse the American decision.

Despite revising the last 90 days’ amendments in the Trump era, the Biden administration’s position regarding the disputed territory remained shrouded in ambiguity, as Moroccan state media were looking for the tiniest sign to interpret it as an affirmation.

The newly published world map visualises the US presence across the world, while painting Morocco and Western Sahara in green, removing the thin line border that represents the situation of the territory in UN approved maps.

However, President Joe Biden approved in December last year, the 2022 fiscal year clause, that included restrictions on aid and military funding to Morocco, and the freezing of financial budget allocated to build the US embassy in Dakhla, Western Sahara.

Morocco has already inaugurated more than 20 foreign embassies in the territory, but the much-desired American embassy would be the only first-world diplomatic move of its kind siding with the Kingdom in the dispute.

The ongoing 46-year-old conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front over the disputed territory of Western Sahara has recently taken an ominous turn after decades of stalemate causing tensions along the border with Algeria and a diplomatic dispute with the latter.