Morocco's King Mohammed VI has announced that a highway crossing the disputed Western Sahara region, built at a cost of $1 billion (about 4 billion ringgit), will be named after U.S. President Donald Trump as an expression of his 'deep gratitude' towards Trump.
According to the Moroccan state news agency, King Mohammed VI stated in a letter to Trump on the 2nd that, toward the end of Trump’s first presidential term in 2020, the U.S. recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. This decision will 'forever be engraved in the memory of the Moroccan people,' and has injected unprecedented momentum into bilateral relations between the two countries.
He wrote in the letter: 'To commemorate this friendship and peace, and as a personal expression of my deep gratitude, I have decided to name one of the Kingdom’s most important highways after you.'
The highway, spanning 1,055 kilometers, connects the southern Moroccan city of Tiznit with the Western Saharan city of Dakhla and will be named the 'Trump Highway.' Currently, parts of this highway have already opened to traffic. Morocco regards it as a key infrastructure project for promoting economic development and regional connectivity in the southern provinces.
According to the Moroccan national news agency, Trump thanked the Moroccan King for the decision and said he hopes to travel the entire length of the highway in the near future.
Western Sahara is a resource-rich region comparable in size to the United Kingdom. Since 1975, when colonial ruler Spain withdrew, Morocco and an Algerian-backed independence movement have vied for control. The United Nations lists the territory as non-self-governing.
In the final stage of his first presidential term, Trump recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara as part of an agreement under which Morocco agreed to restore diplomatic relations with Israel. This decision has continued to draw attention from parties across the region.