Tiznit to Dakhla: Morocco’s Donald J. Trump Highway
On the 26th of July 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that Morocco had officially named its soon-to-be longest highway after him - an act of political theatre designed to send a clear message to the world.
Morocco has long been Washington's key ally in North Africa, but under Trump the relationship has deepened further than ever, raising the question: What is the purpose of this new highway, and why does it carry such significance for the U.S?
Under construction since 2015, the Donald J. Trump Highway will stretch 1,055km, becoming the longest highway in Morocco's history.
It will connect the northern city of Tiznit to Dakhla in the south - a region Morocco calls its "Southern Provinces" but which is, in fact, Western Sahara: a region Morocco has occupied since 1975, in violation of international law.
This project will serve as part of Morocco’s greater efforts to normalise their occupation.
In 2020, under Trump's first administration, the U.S. formally recognised Morocco's claim over Western Sahara in exchange for Morocco normalising relations with Israel.
Since the agreement, tourism and foreign investment in Western Sahara have steadily risen. This new highway is set to further entrench that normalisation, encouraging greater trade and travel between Morocco proper and the occupied territory.
Naming this specific highway after President Trump is no accident. It is a crude display of power, a blunt assertion that the force of the United States underwrites Morocco's claim to land it has no legal right over.
The Donald J. Trump Highway sends a clear message to any government that has yet to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara: The world's most powerful nation stands behind Morocco. Which country would dare contradict it now?
The highway which runs almost the entire length of Western Sahara is a clear example of how the Moroccan occupation depends on its relationship with the U.S to maintain illegal control of the territory.
Infrastructure like this highway normalise occupation, embedding it further into everyday trade and travel while the Saharawi people's claim to their own land is pushed further to the margins.
Neither Trump nor Morocco can distract us from the reality of illegal occupation, a new highway will not make Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara any more legitimate.
