Washington presses Algeria on Tindouf camps
The United States has urged Algeria to dismantle the Tindouf camps during talks between US presidential adviser Massad Boulos and Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf in Turkey, Moroccan government-friendly Yabiladi reported on 21 April.
The meeting took place on 17 April, one month after a phone call between Boulos and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, days before the UN Security Council reviews the mandate of the MINURSO mission on 30 April.
Western Sahara was central to the discussions, with the US side maintaining its support for negotiations based on Morocco’s autonomy plan.
Boulos rejected Attaf’s proposals, which included granting US companies access to Algerian hydrocarbons, phosphates and other resources. He instead called on Algerian authorities to dismantle the Tindouf camps as part of implementing the autonomy initiative.
The camps, located in southwestern Algeria near the Western Sahara border, host Sahrawi refugees and are administered by the Polisario Front.
Under Morocco’s autonomy plan, Western Sahara would be granted limited self-governance under Moroccansovereignty, with only those able to prove Saharan origin eligible to return to the territory from the camps.
Washington has also raised the issue in discussions at the United Nations. A day earlier, US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Washington wants the renewal of MINURSO to be tied to a political process based on the autonomy plan and is also pushing for changes to the mission’s mandate, although Russia has expressed reservations.
Separately, talks between Washington and Moroccan officials have focused on defence cooperation and regional stability.
The discussions with Algeria also covered regional security, including Mali, where Boulos urged authorities not to interfere in internal affairs. Bamako is in talks with Washington on counterterrorism cooperation, including a possible intelligence-sharing agreement targeting jihadist groups in the Sahel.
Boulos also called on Algeria to pursue political and economic reforms.
Yabiladi, Maghrebi.org
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