A new report by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is urging the United States to designate the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization, citing growing evidence of the group’s ties to Iran, Hezbollah and jihadist networks across North and West Africa.
The report, authored by analysts Ahmad Sharawi and Mariam Wahba, highlights the Algeria-backed separatist group’s transformation from a regional insurgency to a proxy force operating in line with Iran’s broader destabilization agenda. It also documents the group’s involvement in drone attacks, arms trafficking, and the recruitment of child soldiers.
Ties to Iran and Hezbollah
According to the report, Iran has trained Polisario fighters through Hezbollah operatives, most recently in Syria. A Washington Post investigation cited in the analysis confirms that members of the Polisario Front were embedded in pro-Assad units, revealing the group’s operational coordination with Tehran-backed militias.
In 2018, Morocco cut diplomatic ties with Iran, accusing it of using Hezbollah to deliver missiles to Polisario through the Iranian embassy in Algiers. Since then, Rabat has presented photographic evidence to the United Nations showing Polisario’s use of Iranian-made kamikaze drones.
“These are not isolated cases,” the FDD report states. “They represent a pattern of militarization and proxy warfare that aligns Polisario with the world’s most dangerous state sponsors of terrorism.”
Regional Instability and Alleged Terror Acts
The FDD further notes that in November 2024, Polisario militants launched rocket attacks on a public event commemorating Morocco’s 1975 Green March. Moroccan media reported that the projectiles were fired from Algerian territory.
The report also links the group to extremist elements, including Adnan Abu al-Walid al-Sahrawi, a former Polisario member who later led Islamic State operations in the Sahel before being killed by French forces in 2021.
“Polisario is part of a broader web of armed actors operating under ideological and strategic alignment with terrorist organizations,” the report says.
Allegations of Child Recruitment
The analysis also draws attention to human rights violations in the Tindouf camps in Algeria, where Polisario is accused of recruiting minors into its military ranks. A Geneva-based NGO told the U.N. Human Rights Council that the group has systematically prevented children from pursuing education and instead subjected them to military indoctrination.
FDD Recommendations
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is urging Washington to adopt a firm stance in response to the growing threat posed by the Polisario Front. The think tank recommends that the United States officially designate the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and move forward with opening the long-promised U.S. consulate in Dakhla. This would serve to reaffirm American recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory.
“The evidence is mounting, and the threat is real,” the report concludes. “The United States must act to protect regional stability and uphold the security of its allies.”
The Polisario Front, founded in 1973, has long campaigned for the secession of the Sahara. The United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the territory in 2020. Algeria, which provides financial, military, and diplomatic support to Polisario, has rejected allegations of backing terrorism.
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is a nonpartisan research institute based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on national security and foreign policy.
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