US Ambassador Heads To Laayoune With Green Hydrogen Agreement Expected

US Ambassador to Morocco Duke Buchan III is expected to visit Laayoune on Tuesday for meetings with regional officials, elected representatives and business leaders, sources familiar with the visit told Hespress.

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The trip will be Buchan’s first official visit to Laayoune since taking up his post and comes as Washington seeks to translate its support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara into stronger economic and investment engagement in the southern provinces.

Buchan is expected to meet territorial authorities, local elected officials, economic and human rights representatives and tribal figures, according to the sources.

The program will focus on development projects under way in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, changes in local infrastructure and services, and opportunities for expanded Moroccan-US commercial cooperation.

The ambassador is also expected to discuss investment prospects with local economic actors and examine projects carried out under Morocco’s development programme for the southern provinces.

Green hydrogen agreement expected

The visit is expected to include the signing of an agreement related to green hydrogen, along with other cooperation accords involving Moroccan and US institutions, the sources said.

Morocco has selected several international groups to develop six green hydrogen projects in its southern regions under the state-backed "Morocco Offer", including ventures involving US and European companies.

The reported agreements would signal an effort to add an economic component to Washington’s political position by encouraging US-linked investment in energy and other strategic sectors in the region.

US maintains support for Morocco’s position

The United States recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara in December 2020 under President Donald Trump and has maintained that position.

US officials have described Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the only serious and credible basis for resolving the dispute. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau reiterated in May that Washington recognises Moroccan sovereignty and supports the autonomy plan as the path toward a settlement.

Buchan also publicly promoted investment in the Moroccan Sahara during remarks at the GITEX Africa technology conference in April, linking economic development to the US position on the territory.

The ambassador formally began his posting in late 2025 after previously serving in Rabat during Trump’s first administration.