Algeria bows to US pressure on Western Sahara conflict

Algerian representatives attended a high level meeting at the US embassy in Madrid to discuss the Western Sahara issue, reports Atalayar on 8th February. Moroccan and Mauritian officials and UN envoy Staffan de Mistura were also reportedly in attendance, as well as members of the Polisario Front militias.

The US envoy for Africa and the Middle East, Massad Boulos, has recently insisted that resolving the Western Sahara conflict was a “top priority” for the Trump administration. Although Algeria had distanced itself for the Polisario and had originally refused to enter negotiations, Algerian Foreign minister Ahmed Attaf’s presence suggests that the North African state bowed to American pressure.

Spanish newspaper El Confidencial reports that Attaf and his Mauritanian counterpart Mohamed Salem Ould Merzouk met a day before the planned meeting to discuss the issue. No official statement has been released by any of the participants, as the negotiations are treated with  “the strictest confidentiality“.

Morocco has been working on refining its autonomy proposal for the past few months, as requested by the UN’s Security Council following the vote on Resolution 2797 in October 2025. It held cross-party consultations, with each party working on its own proposal to respect the rights and autonomy of Sahrawi communities under Moroccan sovereignty.

A new 40-page document has now been drafted by three of King Mohammed VI’s closest advisors, with input from the Interior and Foreign ministries. This work will weight heavily in the negotiations, reflecting Morocco’s willingness to put behind 50 years of conflict and to appease tensions with Algeria. The “Moroccan plan” has also received significant backing from African and European leaders.

The Polisario Front, on the other hand, has failed to find meaningful international support, and the inhabitants of the Tindouf refugee camps, under its leadership, have expressed increasing discontent. The movement continues to demand a referendum of the Sahrawi population, but it is coming to the negotiating table with limited leverage.

Atalayar, El Confidencial, Maghrebi.org