ROME (ITALPRESS) – Two members of the United States House of Representatives have introduced a bill in Congress aimed at designating the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization.
The initiative, titled the “Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act,” is led by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina—an influential Trump ally—and Democratic Congressman Jimmy Panetta. Both lawmakers characterize the Polisario as a militia supported by Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia, which provides Iran with a strategic outpost in Africa and destabilizes the Kingdom of Morocco, a U.S. ally for 248 years.
In the United States, only a decision by the Department of State can officially designate a group as a foreign terrorist organization, in accordance with the current legal framework. The Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act proposes the imposition of financial, diplomatic, and legal sanctions against the Polisario Front.
In the document submitted to the relevant House committee, the Polisario Front is described as a separatist movement founded in 1973, operating primarily in the Sahara region. The bill raises regional security concerns, highlighting the group’s “alleged ties” to powers hostile to American interests. The legislation aims to place the organization within the legal framework established by U.S. law governing the designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)—a mechanism that allows for measures such as asset freezes and travel restrictions on its leaders and supporters.
The final decision on whether to blacklist the Polisario Front rests with the U.S. Department of State.
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(ITALPRESS).
