Career diplomat Marissa Scott was named this week as the new consul general in Casablanca, Morocco, by the administration of US President Joe Biden.

Before being appointed to her current position at the US embassy in Casablanca, the commercial hub of Morocco, Marissa Scott had a distinguished career as a US diplomat, having worked in a number of nations. She will direct the execution of US foreign policy in the sizable new US consulate located in the middle of Morocco’s humming economic metropolis as head of the diplomatic mission in Casablanca.

Louisiana to the continent of Africa
Scott, who grew up in a small village in rural Louisiana, was given the renowned Luard Morse scholarship at a young age, allowing her to attend the elite King’s College in London, UK. A career in the US State Department was reportedly sparked by Scott’s time in London, according to an interview with the English-Speaking Union (ESU-USA).

Following her stay in London, Scott attended the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish before pursuing a master’s in international relations.

Scott began her career as a foreign affairs assistant in Washington, DC, in 2003. There, she worked with US embassies in Africa, notably the US Embassy in Algiers, until March 2012. She subsequently relocated to Niamey, Niger, where she worked for three years as a public affairs officer. Scott would stay in Africa after her service in Niger since she was then given a position as the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde.

Prior to moving to South Africa to serve as the Director of the Africa Regional Media Hub, an office designed to connect US policymakers with media in Sub-Saharan Africa, skilled diplomat and linguist Marissa Scott did well for herself in West Africa. She performed the dual roles of director and spokesperson for the Department of State in French.

After spending nine years in Africa, Scott was called back to Washington, DC, in August 2022, where she worked as the DEIA Coordinator for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs until she was named Consul General to Casablanca in August 2023, at which point she was called back to Africa.

In accordance with her bio on the State Department, Scott has worked on projects in Djibouti, the Dominican Republic, Niger, and Cape Verde. She is also believed to be knowledgeable about the geopolitical environment in the region of Morocco because she also worked in Algeria, where she was given the Meritorious Honor Award by the US Embassy in Algiers in 2011.

In an interview with ESU-USA, Scott made the claim that “the American Dream is nothing more than a story that individuals want for themselves… I appreciate that I have the opportunity to speak authoritatively on behalf of my nation. She emphasized how happy she felt to be African-American, saying that she likes “being a person of color, being able to represent that.”

While Scott acknowledged that her skin tone “occasionally imposes an extra load,” she insisted that it is “a burden in a good way, a weight that I don’t mind carrying because when I’m out and abroad and people don’t assume that I’m a diplomat, they’re either astonished, amazed, or surprised that I am. I’m happy about that. Considering that I’ve just altered their perceptions of what Americans are and what America is.

Scott is a fluent speaker of Spanish and French and has credentials in dispute resolution, public relations, and strategic communications.

Scott has posted about a number of US topics affecting underrepresented groups on social media, including messages showing support for the LGBTQIA community and discussing US racial and gender inequality. In addition to her work with the US State Department, Scott is still a board member of the Melton Foundation and the USA Girl Scouts Overseas Advisory Council.

With Marissa’ Scott’s appointment, it appears the US Consulate in Morocco has gained a skilled veteran diplomat that is equipped with the linguistic skills, and a sharp understanding of regional issues and priorities, that undoubtedly will prove useful in her time in Morocco. Scott’s new appointment appears to be a fitting next step in her career, as she expressed to ESA-USA that she hopes to one day become a US Ambassador.

“I am honored to take up the role of Consul General in Casablanca,” Scott said in a press release from the US State Department. “The Consulate is an integral part of the U.S. Mission in Morocco, and I look forward to supporting our bilateral relationship through the broad range of consular services, educational and cultural programs, and commercial resources we offer in Casablanca.”

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Washington – The United States on Monday reiterated its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan, deeming it “serious, credible and realistic” with a view to settling the regional conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated during his daily press briefing that “we continue to view Morocco’s autonomy plan as serious, as credible, as realistic”.

When asked about the Sunday phone discussion between the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Abroad, Nasser Bourita, Vedant stated, “There is no change in the U.S. position on this matter.”

Last March, Binken emphasized the U.S.’s steadfast position when he reaffirmed his nation’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan in an effort to find a lasting political solution to the Sahara dispute under the auspices of the UN.

Blinken emphasized that the United States “continues” to view this idea as “serious, credible, and realistic” during discussions with his Moroccan counterpart in Washington.

The senior US diplomat recalled his nation’s “full support” for UN Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General Staffan de Mistura during a phone call with Bourita on Sunday.

The Biden administration cements a tradition in Washington by utilizing the voices of multiple senior U.S. officials to affirm the importance of the Moroccan autonomy proposal, which was put forth by the Kingdom in 2007, for the ultimate resolution of the fictitious battle over the Sahara.

Regardless of the political leanings of the White House administration, the United States has maintained its unwavering position in favor of the historic UN Security Council vote that will recognize Morocco’s full sovereignty over all of its territory, including its southern provinces, in 2020.

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The annual “Select USA” investment summit, which was held from May 1–4 in the Washington, D.C., region and aimed to promote foreign investment in the United States, featured a delegation of Moroccan businesses operating in a variety of industries.

The US Chamber of Commerce and the Commercial Service of the US Embassy in Rabat coordinated the Moroccan participation, which provided an opportunity to learn about offers and facilities at the local, federal, and national levels as well as business and investment opportunities, according to Rabia El Alama, director of the US Chamber of Commerce.

Participants from several countries, including specialists and government officials, as well as representatives of US states, attended the event, which took place at the National Harbor in Maryland.

The role of women in technology and innovation was one of the themes of this year’s edition. On this occasion, Morocco offered a proposal in the area of application development via the firm “OCP Maintenance Solutions,” which was represented by Sara Khadim. Along with delegates from Canada, Israel, and Ukraine, the Moroccan candidate has advanced to the competition’s finals at this summit.

The director of the US Chamber of Commerce emphasized the significance of Morocco’s involvement by pointing out that the international expansion is no longer a choice but a necessity and that the US market is one of the most lucrative and alluring locations in the world.

Read Also: UAE and Morocco pledge to double trade and investment exchange

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The Algerian government was criticized by the US for categorizing two anti-regime political groups as terrorist organizations.

The US State Department noted that “Algerian authorities targeted more frequently the Berber separatist Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie and the Islamist movement Rachad, which the government designated as terrorist organizations in May” in its “Country Reports on Terrorism 2021.”

“The United States deems these designations more political than security focused, given both groups are fiercely anti-government and do not appear to have engaged in what the United States regards as terrorist acts,” the statement read. The Algerian government “occasionally charged individuals with terrorism-related crimes for activities that appeared to constitute expression and peaceful activism,” the State Department noted, adding that Algerian authorities “have notably refrained from discussing these groups or the alleged threats they pose” in counterterrorism-related engagement with the United States.

The same source added that Algeria “used the new changes to imprison political activists and outspoken critics of the regime” after expanding the definition of terrorist actions and creating a national list of terrorist individuals and companies in 2021.

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The UN Security Council resolved on Friday to extend the mandate of MINURSO for another year, reaffirming the priority of the Moroccan autonomy initiative in resolving the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

The Security Council “decides to extend the mandate of MINURSO until 31 October 2022,” reads the text of the resolution presented by the United States.

The executive body of the United Nations has codified the preeminence of Morocco’s autonomy offer, which was presented on April 11, 2007, in this statement, welcoming the Kingdom’s “serious and credible” efforts, as indicated in the Moroccan proposal.

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Intensive meetings are taking place at the headquarters of the Royal Armed Forces’ Southern Region in Agadir these days in preparation for the 18th edition of the African Lion 2022 maneuvers, which are part of the joint military exercises between Morocco and the United States of America.

High-ranking military officials from both countries met for an extended meeting at the Southern Command yesterday, Monday, October 25, 2021, to finalize all details for the continent’s largest military event.

Get ready for African Lion 2022! Planning for the return of the largest military exercise in Africa is getting started this week in Agadir, with military personnel from Morocco, the US, Tunisia, Senegal and Ghana gathering at the FAR’s southern zone headquarters. pic.twitter.com/6i6Jv4sdCP

— U.S. Embassy Morocco (@USEmbMorocco) October 26, 2021

These maneuvers, which involve thousands of Moroccan and American soldiers as well as soldiers from other countries from around the world, are aimed at improving the maneuvering capabilities of participating units, enhancing interoperability among participants in the planning and execution of joint operations within the framework of the alliance, and mastering tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as developing cyber defense skills.

This combined exercise also aims to train the air sector in combat operations, support, and refueling from the air, improve maritime security cooperation, conduct naval exercises in naval tactics and conventional warfare, and perform humanitarian activities.

The “African Lion” exercise is a joint multinational exercise organized and managed by the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) in partnership with the Royal Armed Forces with the goal of improving cooperation and training, increasing interoperability, and enhancing the exchange of experiences and knowledge between the components. Different military forces are needed in order for it to reach its maximum operational potential.

It is worth noting that the joint Moroccan-American exercises “African Lion 2021” had previously organized their 17th edition from 7 to 18 June 2021 in the regions of Agadir, Tifnit, Tan-Tan, Mahbas in the Moroccan Sahara, Tafraout, Benguerir and Kenitra, based on the high instructions of King Mohammed VI.

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United Nations – In his report to the UN General Assembly, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has once again unmasked the violations, lies and false allegations of Algeria and the “polisario” on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, after doing so earlier this month in his report to the Security Council.

In this report, Guterres stresses that the issue of the Moroccan Sahara is considered by the UN as a matter of peace and security, thus as a regional dispute under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, relating to the peaceful settlement of disputes.

In addition, the UN Secretary General confirms, once again, that the final solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara can only be political, realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and compromise, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 2440, 2468, 2494, 2548. It reaffirms, thus, the final burial of all obsolete plans supported only by Algeria and “polisario”, including the referendum.

Resolutions 2440, 2468, 2494 and 2548, to which the solution must be fully compliant according to the UN SG, and all those that preceded them since 2007, confirm the pre-eminence, seriousness and credibility of the Autonomy Initiative as the only solution to this regional dispute, within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom.

These resolutions also established the round table discussions, with the participation of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the “polisario” as the sole framework for conducting the exclusively UN political process aimed at achieving a political solution to this artificial conflict set up, nurtured and maintained by Algeria, which reaffirms, once again, the obligations of this country as a major stakeholder in the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.

In his report, the UN SG confirms, moreover, that the armed elements of the “polisario” have indeed blocked the passage of Guergarat in October and November 2020, defeating the vain attempts of the “polisario” and Algeria to conceal this truth.

It is worth to mention that following the blockage by the armed separatist militias of the “polisario” for more than three weeks, the road passage of Guergarat, between the borders of Morocco and Mauritania, in October and November 2020, Morocco undertook, on November 13, 2020, a civil engineering action by which it restored, once and for all, the free movement of people and goods in this passage.

The peaceful aspect of this intervention of the Royal Armed Forces was noted in the report of the UN Secretary General who said “no casualties were reported to the Minurso in connection with the events of November 13,” which is a strong denial of the accusations of the “polisario”, whose armed elements fled the buffer zone of Guergarat, following the intervention of FAR, as confirmed by Guterres.

The UN Secretary General also highlighted, in this report, the Royal letter underlining the “irreversible” character of the peaceful actions carried out by Morocco at the border post of El Guerguarat to re-establish free civil and commercial circulation.

The report confirms that “Morocco has remained committed to the ceasefire,” while preserving its right to respond to any provocation by the “polisario” militias. The UN SG also drew the attention of the UN General Assembly to the illegal renunciation by the “polisario” of the ceasefire, in flagrant violation of the Security Council resolutions.

In addition, Guterres welcomed Morocco’s cooperation with MUNURSO, particularly through the vaccination, by the Moroccan authorities, of its personnel.

Also, this report is distinguished by highlighting the diplomatic achievements of the Kingdom in the Moroccan Sahara during the past year. In this context, the UN SG shed light on the historic inaugurations of Consulates General by 16 countries in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla.

Guterres stressed, to this effect that “Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Jordan, Libya, Malawi, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Suriname, the United Arab Emirates and Zambia have announced their intention to inaugurate or have opened Consulates General in the Sahara”. These diplomatic representations follow the 10 consulates of African, Arab, Caribbean and other countries, opened in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla for a total of 26 since December 2019, which illustrates the international and diplomatic recognition of the Moroccan Sahara.

The UN Secretary General also mentioned the historic proclamation, on December 10, 2020, by the United States, of the full and complete sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over its Sahara.

Indeed, Guterres said that “the United States has recognized the Moroccan sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara and reaffirmed its support for the serious, credible and realistic autonomy proposal of Morocco, as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to this conflict”. He also informed that on December 24, 2020, the United States announced the inauguration of a virtual consulate in the Sahara.

In addition, Guterres emphasized the economic and infrastructural development of the Moroccan Sahara, as well as the continuation of Moroccan investments in its southern provinces. He said in this regard that “on April 30, the Moroccan authorities announced the winning bid for the construction of the Atlantic port of Dakhla and that its construction is underway.

Similarly, Guterres noted the continuation of “construction work on a highway linking Tiznit to Dakhla”. Large-scale projects that several Arab countries were able to see during their on-site visit last June. Indeed, as evidenced by the Secretary-General in his report, “diplomatic delegations from Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen” visited, on 24 and 26 June 2021, Dakhla and Laayoune to “explore investment opportunities in the Sahara”.

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While ten American senators wrote to the State Department regarding the Sahara conflict, the Director General of the Moroccan Penitentiary Administration, Mohamed Salah Tamek, supplied various facts in a response letter, particularly on the Gdim Izik captives.

Tamek reminded in a letter to the American Secretary of State in response to the departure of the American senators that the detainees of Gdim Izik are “prosecuted for having slain elements of the police force rather than for reasons relating to any nonviolent movement.”.

“Would the ten signatories have permitted dissidents who invaded and ransacked the Capitol and killed some police officers in order to be deemed peaceful protesters?” Tamek wonders in this letter, labeling the letter signed by ten American senators as “misplaced, false, and entirely biased.”

The Director General of the Penitentiary Administration has also replied to the Moroccan prison situation, providing details on “acceptable” incarceration circumstances. He also emphasized the advancements made in improving incarceration conditions and reinforcing respect for detainees’ rights.

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The digital portal “Laayouneconnect.com” was inaugurated in Laayoune today, Wednesday, as part of a US-funded project to promote investment and territorial marketing in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region.

This project, which is overseen by the International Studies and Consultation Office JE Austin Associates (based in Washington, DC, with a regional office in Rabat) in collaboration with the Regional Investment Center in Laayoune – Sakia El Hamra, aims to introduce the economic qualifications of the Laayoune region.

The digital platform  www.laayouneconnect.com will work to connect private sector contractors in the region with potential investors (both Moroccans and foreigners) through a search engine that allows companies to find and locate their geographic location according to their sector of activity and center of interest (opening the company’s capital to another investor, creating a joint venture with another company, searching for suppliers, customers, etc…).

Mr. Tyler Joyner, Regional Director of the US-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) at the US Embassy in Rabat, stated that this platform will enable national and international investors to learn more about business prospects in Laayoune.

Mr. Mohamed Jaafar, Director-General of the Regional Investment Center of Laayoune – Sakia El Hamra, stated that this platform, which is part of the region’s digital transformation, is an important link in the chain of valuing its economic potential and territorial offer.

On this occasion, he emphasized the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region’s competitive advantages, which include its geographical location, land and air transportation, and “new generation” infrastructure, thanks to financial support provided by the Kingdom’s new development model for the southern provinces.

The distribution of certificates to a group of young entrepreneurs who benefited from a training organized as part of this project to improve economic opportunities in Laayoune and increase their turnover by improving their visibility on the Internet, marketing on social networks, e-commerce, and networking was a highlight of the ceremony.

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Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price confirmed that the US will continue to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the highly disputed Sahara territory.

US State Department Spokesman Ned Price affirmed that the United States of America is still clinging to its firm position regarding the Moroccan sovereignty of the Sahara.

Ned said in a press release that America will remain engaged with all sides in support of the personal envoy’s efforts and will support a credible political process led by the United Nations to achieve stability in the region and secure it from any cessation of hostilities.

In the same context, Mr. Ned Price added “We don’t have anything to announce beyond what we’ve said”.

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