The United States is stepping up pressure on Algeria to rethink its position on the Sahara, as Washington reaffirms its full support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the territory and its autonomy plan.
In a new interview with the Lebanese newspaper Annahar, Massad Boulos, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, made it clear that the Sahara issue remains a top priority for the administration as 2026 begins.
Boulos’s comments come two months after the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, which the US described as historic for confirming Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the only credible basis for a settlement.
The timing is also significant: Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, had suggested last October that a peace agreement between Morocco and Algeria could be reachable within two months. Algeria has shown no sign of movement since.
In the interview, Boulos insisted that the US maintains a working relationship with Algeria, but he immediately defined its limits.
According to him, Washington’s interest in Algeria is primarily economic, focused on expanding access for American companies.
There was no suggestion that the US would reconsider its stance on the Sahara or link economic cooperation with Algiers to political concessions.
Boulos made it clear the US will not trade its long standing support for Morocco for vague promises from Algeria.
He praised the adoption of Resolution 2797 and called it a unique opportunity to advance a long delayed peace process.
The Moroccan autonomy plan is the only realistic, durable and credible solution, he said.
