Western Sahara: Algeria under pressure from the US

Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf attended a US-brokered meeting in Madrid to discuss the future of the Western Sahara with officials from Morocco, Mauritania and the Polisario Front, reports Maghrebi Week on 16th February. US Senior advisor Massad Boulos was also present.

Algeria has been widely accused of providing funds and weapons to the Polisario militias, as well as supporting them diplomatically, but it has downplayed its role in the conflict.

The US administration has been pushing the North African state to review its stance, particularly after the UN Security Council vote that recognized the Moroccan autonomy plan as the “most feasible” solution.

Maghrebi Week