Morocco seen as final shield against extremist expansion in Sahara, analysis warns

Morocco remains the last critical bulwark against the spread of extremist groups in the Sahara region, according to a recent analysis published by The National Interest. The report highlights growing concerns about the evolving nature of the Polisario Front and its alleged alignment with destabilizing actors in the Middle East.

Once viewed as a nationalist liberation movement, the Polisario Front is now reportedly working in close coordination with Iran and Hezbollah, based on intelligence reports and leaked communications. These developments have prompted warnings from Moroccan and international officials about the group’s shifting identity and potential threat to regional security.

According to Germany’s Die Welt, intercepted communications revealed a Polisario official engaging with a Hezbollah agent, expressing admiration for the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel and calling for broader cooperation between Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Polisario. The official also allegedly requested assistance for a planned attack on the Israeli embassy in Rabat.

Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying Polisario forces with dronesand supporting broader efforts to sow instability across North Africa and the Arab world. “Iran’s strategy is to empower armed proxies that weaken state institutions,” Bourita stated in earlier remarks.

International attention has also turned to the Tindouf refugee camps in western Algeria — controlled by the Polisario — which house an estimated 170,000 people. Security experts say these camps have become hotbeds for radicalization and recruitment by terrorist groups operating in the Sahel.

Notably, a former Polisario fighter led ISIS in the Greater Sahara, and multiple terror cells linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS have emerged from the area in recent years.

Support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara has strengthened globally. The United States, France, the UK, and Israel now officially back Moroccan sovereignty. Even Syria, a former Polisario ally, has recently expelled the group from its territory, signaling shifting regional alliances.

While some voices advocate a return to a UN-backed referendum, security analysts argue that such proposals are outdated in light of new geopolitical realities. “Allowing the Polisario to gain ground could create a new launchpad for extremist operations in North Africa,” the report warns.

The conflict over the Moroccan Sahara is increasingly seen not only as a territorial dispute, but as a strategic front line in the fight against terrorism — with Morocco standing as the last major state actor preventing the region from sliding into extremist control.