US Recognition of Moroccan Sahara Faces Ongoing Criticism, Politician Claims Deception

"In Morocco, there was a deception on the part of the Americans when President Donald Trump recognized the autonomy of the southern Moroccan provinces. Yet history, geography and the law confirm that the Sahara is Moroccan, as everyone knows, but Europe and the United States want to put pressure on Morocco to derive benefits from it," said Nabila Mounib, deputy of the Unified Socialist Party, in an interview with Sputnik. The American recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara in exchange for the normalization of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel became effective in December 2020. For the elected official, this is nothing more than "a sham". "What happened regarding the normalization in exchange for the recognition of autonomy confirms an imbalance in relations, but also international arrogance in imposing its agendas and policies," she denounced.

Nabila Mounib also reacted to the decision of the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development to authorize the import of more than two million tons of household waste and rubber tires from European countries including Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden. "The minister’s response on the file was not convincing; she hides behind the international law that Morocco signed years ago, which allows the import and export of waste, which is in contradiction with the role of her ministry in the framework of the government’s work on the sustainable development plan and environmental protection, given the known serious effects of environmental pollution on a global scale."

She did not fail to draw attention to the negative effects of this waste on the environment and the health of citizens. "Unfortunately, the planned waste contains certain substances that are dangerous to human health, especially since Morocco is seeking to attract investment and does not want to become Europe’s landfill. The import of its waste into our country by millions of tons confirms that the relations are unbalanced, especially since certain laws are implemented so that developing countries remain submissive, dependent and constrained to accept this type of waste," continued the elected official, noting that "the efforts of the opposition to raise the issue in Parliament are thwarted by its weak weight against the majority."