DAKHLA, Western Sahara (AP) – Trawlers pack Western Sahara’s bustling port of Dakhla, where fish scales glitter from workers’ arms as they roll up their nets and buyers shout bids in a sprawling auction warehouse. Nearby, turquoise waters lapping wide, almost empty Atlantic beaches, and diners sip tea in outdoor cafes.
The United States plans to place its footprint in this scenic setting.
US Ambassador to Morocco, David T. Fischer, took part in a ceremony in Dakhla on Sunday, the first formal step to open a consulate, marking a turning point for the disputed and tightly controlled area of North Africa.
US action recognizes Morocco’s authority over the country – in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel.
Fischer was joined by the most senior State Department official for the region, David Schenker. Both diplomats wore white Moroccan robes.
“Our trip to Dakhla today is another historic milestone in more than 200 years of friendship between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America,” the US Embassy said in Morocco’s Twitter account.
While this shift in US foreign policy frustrates indigenous Sahrawis who have been seeking the independence of Western Sahara for decades, others see new opportunities for trade and tourism that will provide welcome boost to the region and sun-drenched coastal cities such as Dakhla.
Speaking at the meeting, the US ambassador said the opening of a consulate is a plus for the United States, allowing it “to further benefit from Morocco’s strategic positioning as a trading center in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.” Investment and development projects will benefit the region, he added.
A portrait of Moroccan King Mohammed VI, waving from behind his sunglasses, hangs from the crenellated arch that greets people arriving in Dakhla. The king’s face is lined up on a map that shows Western Sahara as an integral part of Morocco.
Morocco annexed the former Spanish colony in 1975, which unleashed a 16-year war and then 30 years of diplomatic and military stalemate between Morocco and the Polisario Front, an organization striving for the independence of Western Sahara and based in and is supported by Algeria. The protracted territorial dispute has limited Western Sahara’s ties to the outside world.
Khatat Yanja, head of Dakhla’s regional council, is looking forward to the arrival of the US, opening its city to new markets and attracting more tourists to enjoy the beaches, local wares and breathtaking sunsets. He expressed hope for US investment in tourism, renewable energy, agriculture and especially fisheries.
“We appreciate such a gesture,” said Yanja of the future consulate. “It will open a whole new chapter when it comes to investing in this region, by hiring people and creating more resources. It will also open more doors to international trade. “
The main fishing port is the lifeblood of the local economy, employing 70% of Dakhla’s labor force. According to port director Bintaleb Elhassan, thousands of boats bring in 500,000 tons of fish per year, for exports worth 2.2 billion dirhams ($ 249 million) per year.
Under flocks of honking gulls, fishermen drag sardines and mackerel to warehouses where the catch is auctioned from neatly lined bins. In nearby processing plants, rows of women, including migrants from all over Africa, clean and sort the fish.
Morocco strictly controls the region. On a recent visit to Dakhla, authorities closely followed an Associated Press reporter, as visitors and residents alike often are.
US Deputy Secretary of State David Schenker visited Dakhla and Western Sahara’s largest city, Laayoune, on Saturday. He and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita are expected to unveil a temporary diplomatic outpost on Sunday.
While the consulate is not expected to open for another six to 12 months, Schenker’s journey is one way for the US to bolster their commitment to Western Sahara before President Donald Trump leaves office.
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, helped negotiate a normalization deal between Morocco and Israel announced last month as part of a series of historic deals that in return the Arab countries gained great favors from Washington.
Trump said the purpose of the Western Sahara Consulate would be “to promote economic and trade opportunities in the region,” which is about the size of Colorado and is believed to have significant offshore oil and mineral resources.
The Polisario Front’s representative to the United Nations, Sidi Omar, appealed on Saturday to the upcoming administration of US President-elect Joe Biden to reverse Trump’s decision.
“The US cannot both support the UN’s role in resolving the conflict in Western Sahara and endorse Moroccan sovereignty,” Omar tweeted.
The Western Sahara economy is run by Morocco, which built most of the area’s infrastructure and encouraged Moroccans to settle there. But the United Nations and most governments in the world do not recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the country, limiting Morocco’s ability to export its resources and complicating trade deals.
For many people in Dakhla, at least those allowed to speak to visiting journalists, local concerns seem to outweigh geopolitical concerns. Residents commute to work, sell clementines, buy jewelry, enjoy local specialties at outdoor cafes, and frolic with their dogs on quiet beaches.
The US recognition of Western Sahara as Morocco’s was criticized by the UN and America’s allies. African observers have said it could destabilize the wider region as it already fights against Islamic uprisings and migrant trafficking.
The move has particularly angered the Sahrawi, who want a referendum on the future of the territory, and neighboring Algeria, which is hosting Sahrawi refugees and supporting the Polisario. Schenker also visited Algeria in recent days.
The US will join a small but growing number of countries with consulates in its territory, the most recent of which represents The Gambia.
“The Gambia feels a sense of gratitude for Morocco’s support, including the construction of the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in The Gambia. Morocco also continues to award educational grants to Gambian students, ”Consul General Ousmane Badjie told The AP in his office, which also features a portrait of the Moroccan king.
Sahrawi activists held protests in several Spanish and French cities over the US move, but Washington did not immediately address their concerns when the State Department formally notified Congress on December 24 of its plans to establish a consulate. to open..
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said only that the United States will “continue to support political negotiations to resolve the problems between Morocco and the Polisario under Morocco’s plan of autonomy”.
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Matthew Lee in Washington and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.