Sahara: Washington thwarts Polisario’s attempts to exploit U.S. Ambassador’s visit to Tindouf Camps

The United States has dealt a hard blow to the Polisario separatist group and the Algerian regime after they tried to exploit the recent visit paid by U.S. ambassador to Algeria Elizabeth Moore Aubin to Tindouf Camps for their proper agenda, making it clear that “there was no bilateral engagement with the Polisario” during this trip which was “a UN donor visit.”

During his daily press briefing held Monday in Washington, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller put things into perspective, while responding to a question on Aubin’s visit to Tindouf camps which prompted some media to insinuate a shift in U.S. policy regarding the Sahara issue.

Mr. Miller explained that U.S. ambassador and a broad range of international donors participated in a UN-organized visit to Tindouf, Algeria, as the United States is the largest contributor worldwide to international humanitarian efforts, including through UN agencies in Tindouf.

“We deeply value the critical work that our ambassador and U.S. diplomats in Algeria are doing with the UN and international partners to reinforce the humanitarian response there,” affirmed the State Department spokesperson, stressing that “there was no bilateral engagement with the Polisario during this UN donor visit.”

He also reiterated the U.S. steadfast support for Morocco’s autonomy plan offered for the Sahara, describing the plan as a “serious, credible, and realistic” solution.

The United States “fully supports the UN personal envoy of the secretary-general as he intensifies the UN-led political process on Sahara to advance an enduring and dignified solution without further delay”, underlined Mr. Miller.

The US has in 2020 recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara territory and kept describing its autonomy plan as “serious and credible.”