A major diplomatic shift unfolded during the weekend in the long-stalled Sahara dispute, as Algeria takes part in multilateral negotiations in Madrid after years of refusing to sit at the same table as Morocco.
The move marks a watershed moment for a country that has long claimed an observer status, while keeping generous support to the Polisario separatist militias and blocking any progress towards Morocco’s autonomy plan for the territory.
Algeria under Tebboune has moved from acting in the backstage to assert itself as the main instigator of the conflict, taking retaliatory- though self-harming- measures against states that back Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara.
As the US vows to help put an end to the conflict on the basis of the autonomy solution under Moroccan sovereignty, Algiers is increasingly wary and knows it can no longer continue to fuel the conflict and deny responsibility, as it has been doing for decades.
Algiers is also concerned about potential sanctions linked to its partnerships with Iran and Russia. With Trump, the calculus has changed.
The talks, held discreetly at the US Embassy in Madrid, bring together Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Polisario, under the direct supervision of senior American envoys.
Washington’s involvement reflects its growing determination to impose movement on a dossier paralyzed for decades. Massad Boulos, President Trump’s representative for Africa, and Michael Waltz, US Ambassador to the United Nations, requested the confidential format, signaling Washington’s intention to maintain tight control over the process.
Each delegation is led by its foreign minister, with Morocco represented by Nasser Bourita and Algeria by Ahmed Attaf, according to Spanish media.
The UN Secretary-General’s envoy, Staffan de Mistura also attended the meeting, that put an end to Algeria’s obstinate refusal to uphold its responsibility over the conflict.
This new diplomatic phase comes in the wake of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted in October 2025, which reaffirmed that a “realistic, pragmatic, durable and mutually acceptable” political solution must be based on Morocco’s autonomy initiative. The resolution explicitly called on Algeria to engage seriously in the political process, something it had long resisted.
Algeria’s participation represents a major reversal for a regime that spent years rejecting the Geneva-style roundtable format used in 2018 and 2019. The shift comes after intense American pressure, including a January visit to Algiers by Massad Boulos, during which US officials delivered unusually firm messages urging direct engagement.
