Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – The Algerian regime continues to distance itself, refusing to shoulder its responsibility in the Western Sahara dispute.
The Algerian government has again denied its role in the dispute, seeking to further delay the UN-led political process to prevent a final solultion for Western Sahara.
Algeria’s regime has renewed its obstructionist approach during a meeting with UN Envoy for Western Sahara Staffan de Mistura, who began his regional tour this week ahead of an annual briefing and report on the situation and the dossier’s development.
In the meeting, Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Attaf claimed that his country supports the UN efforts to reach a just, lasting, and definitive solution to the dispute.
However, he shared Algiers’ long-standing, outdated narrative, which favors self-determination for the Polisario Front, suggesting the need to “place under its [UN] auspices all approaches and initiatives aimed at organizing direct and unconditional negotiations between the two parties to the conflict, namely the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front.”
Attaf’s remarks come as no surprise; his country’s regime consistently ignores recent developments, particularly the momentum Morocco has been gaining in recent years regarding its sovereignty over its southern provinces.
One aspect of this momentum is Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, which has received widespread support from the international community. Key global powers like the US and France have also formally recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces as well as the plan’s legitimacy.
Algeria’s approach makes the country reluctant to engage in direct and peaceful dialogue with Rabat to end the political stalemate between Rabat and Algiers. It has ignored Rabat’s many olive branches and has instead focused on obstructing the UN-led political process to prolong the Sahara dispute.
For the Algerian regime, maintaining the prolonged conflict hampers Morocco’s productive solutions. According to a 1977 US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) document that was declassified in November 2012, Algeria’s goal in the Sahara dispute was — and still is — to undermine Morocco’s sovereignty and position Algeria as the dominant power in North Africa.
Despite the dispute, Morocco’s momentum has continued on every level, establishing itself as a regional power in security, a reliable ally in combating terrorism, and an important business partner.
Morocco boasts robust sectors like automotives, fertilizers, aeronautics, and agriculture, among others, reinforcing its credibility and influence despite Algiers’ isolation.
While Algeria continues to deny its role, the international community is well aware of its involvement in the dispute. UN resolutions, including Resolution 2756 of 2024, overwhelmingly reject the country’s attempts to skirt responsibility.
The resolution reiterated the need for all parties involved in the dispute to actively participate in the political process, adding that it encourages all parties, including Algeria, to engage with the UN Personal Envoy in a “spirit of realism and compromise.”
It calls upon “the parties to further resume negotiations under the auspices of the UNSG without preconditions, taking into account the efforts made since 2006 and subsequent developments with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution.”
