The American-Moroccan-Mauritanian talks held lately in Nouakchott on regional issues, including the Sahara, sparked Algerian regime’s fears about Mauritania’s diplomatic shift and support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan in the Sahara.
The tripartite meeting gathered Mauritanian Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Merzoug, Moroccan Ambassador to Nouakchott Hamid Chabar and Deputy Head of Mission at U.S. embassy Corina R. Sanders.
The meeting comes amid growing international recognition of Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the only realistic political solution to the Sahara regional conflict. On 31 October 2025, UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, endorsing the Autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty, dealing a hard blow to the Algerian junta and Polisario militias.
According to experts, the Nouakchott tripartite meeting is evidence of a deepening strategic dialogue between Rabat, Nouakchott and Washington.
The latest historic UNSC resolution has called on the parties to the conflict (Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Polisario) to engage in discussions without preconditions, taking as basis Morocco’s Autonomy plan with a view to achieving a final and mutually acceptable political solution.
But the Polisario and Algeria have refused to comply, challenging the international community and the USA, penholder of the UN Security Council resolution on Sahara.
The U.S. administration responded with removing American Ambassador to Algeria Elizabeth Aubin and imposing 127 % anti-dumping (AD) & Countervailing duties (CVD) on imports of steel concrete reinforcing bar (rebar) from Algeria. More sanctions are in the pipeline.
These first retributive diplomatic and economic measures show the U.S. deep discontent with Algerian procrastinating tactics and ties with Iran, Venezuela, Assad regime, Hezbollah and terrorist groups.
U.S. toppling of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro sent a strong message to Algerian rulers and their Polisario terrorist group. U.S. secretary of State Marco Rubio has said President Donald Trump “is not a game player! No bluffing, no back-and-forth, just straight action. He means what he says and stands on it. If you missed the message before, it just got delivered. Now you know”.
