Polisario Front fail to make self-determination deal with US

The Polisario Front has failed to make any progress in discussions surrounding its rejection of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara, according to the Moroccan government-friendly Yabiladi and agencies on January 24th.

Mohamed Yeslem Beisat, the group’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with an official from US President Donald Trump’s administration on January 22nd, but the meeting’s agenda reportedly did not include a proposed referendum or independence vote on the Western Sahara dispute.

It was reported on January 18th that a delegation from the Algerian-backed separatist group had travelled to Florida to engage in talks and targeted lobbying efforts with US officials, with the negotiations backed by the Algerian Embassy in Washington.

According to Yabiladi, the US negotiator dismissed any proposal that did not align with the widely supported Moroccan Autonomy Plan, which proposes limited self-governance for the Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty.

Unable to reach a deal, the Polisario Front delegation requested time to consult its leadership, based in the Tindouf refugee camps in southern Algeria.

Widespread support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, or Resolution 2797, was demonstrated at a UN Security Council vote on October 31st, 2025, with the plan hailed as the most credible and realistic solution to the territorial dispute, which has been ongoing since Spanish colonial rule ended in 1975.

The US has been an ally to Morocco on the Western Sahara dispute, with Washington signalling its intention to prioritise political stability and economic investment in North Africa on January 14th.

Algeria has rejected Moroccan sovereignty and supports the Polisario Front, which claims to engage in an armed struggle against what it perceives as Morocco’s illegal occupation of the Western Sahara.

Similarly, the militia claims to be fighting for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people, whose ancestral homeland is the disputed Western Sahara territory.

Algeria’s seemingly unwavering support for the Polisario Front has led to its increased isolation on the world stage, with 46 countries suspending or severing ties with the militia.

In June 2025, the US introduced legislation to designate the Polisario Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), in support of Morocco. Calls to designate the militia as a terrorist entity have been supported by leading experts and politicians from the US, UK, Latin America and European parliaments.

Yabiladi and agencies, Maghrebi.org