Trump's Video Announcement of the Tiznit-Dajla Highway
On July 26, 2026, Donald Trump released a video that has generated considerable buzz, showcasing the Tiznit-Dajla highway referred to as the "President Donald J. Trump Highway." Although this announcement has yet to receive formal confirmation from Moroccan authorities, it has sparked discussions regarding Morocco's ongoing efforts to promote its claims over Western Sahara. Despite the lack of a new infrastructure project, the narrative surrounding the highway has been quickly adopted by various media outlets, framing it as a significant decision made by King Mohammed VI.
The Tiznit-Dajla highway, originally planned in 2015, is primarily an expansion and upgrade of an existing road. The title "President Donald J. Trump Highway" has only appeared in Trump's video, with no official documentation from Morocco affirming such a name change. Nevertheless, the video has succeeded in capturing the attention of social media and has led several news headlines to inaccurately portray the highway as a Moroccan route that traverses through El Aaiún and Dajla, both located in the occupied territory of Western Sahara.
Symbolic Gestures and Political Alliances
Rabat is astutely aware of the significance of symbolism and how Trump’s affinity for large-scale projects can be leveraged. The process is straightforward: a video is released that presents the highway as a tribute to Trump; he shares it expressing gratitude to King Mohammed VI; and the media promptly transforms this into a seemingly established fact. This outcome transcends the mere renaming of a road. It effectively portrays the highway to the public as a continuous Moroccan route that links Tiznit, El Aaiún, and Dajla, thereby erasing the legal distinctions between Morocco and the occupied territory in the narrative.
This alliance traces its roots back to December 2020, when Trump, during his final days in office, unilaterally recognized Morocco's claims over Western Sahara as part of a deal in which Morocco normalized relations with Israel. This recognition was seen as a significant diplomatic victory for Morocco, positioning autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the only so-called 'realistic' option, thus deviating from the United Nations' established decolonization framework.
While the highway may carry Trump's name, it cannot grant Morocco the sovereignty that the Sahrawi people have not bestowed upon it, nor can it alter the existing legal status of Western Sahara as outlined by international law. The territory remains listed as a Non-Self-Governing Territory by the United Nations, and its decolonization process is still unresolved. The International Court of Justice determined in 1975 that there were no territorial sovereignty links between Morocco and Western Sahara that would impede the exercise of self-determination.
This episode underscores the lengths to which Morocco will go to secure international recognition and support for its claims over Western Sahara. It illustrates that while political gestures may draw temporary attention, they cannot substitute for the legitimacy that international law confers. The highway may be a symbol of cooperation, but it is also a reminder that complex geopolitical realities cannot be simplified by a name alone.
As reported by noteolvidesdelsaharaoccidental.org.
