Lobbying 2015: Congress deserts Sahara activists
Massively outspent by Morocco, the Western Sahara’s independence fighters have been all but deserted by Congress and the Obama administration.
The United States is steadily dropping any pretense of impartiality over the fate of the “last colony in Africa” as Western Sahara activists find themselves massively outspent by Morocco.
Pending foreign aid bills in the House and Senate both call for US aid to Morocco to be spent in the disputed region. The move amounts to a de facto recognition of Rabat’s sovereignty over the resource-rich territory.
The change in policy was first introduced into last year’s omnibus spending bill at the behest of House Appropriations member Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., a longtime champion of US ally Morocco. While still paying lip service to long-standing UN demands for self-determination, Obama administration officials are also increasingly siding with Rabat.
The US Export-Import Bank approved a $92 million long-term guarantee last year for a Moroccan fertilizer giant that exploits the region’s lucrative phosphate mines. And the Clinton Foundation came under fire earlier this year for accepting a $1 million donation from the same state-owned firm.
