Morocco pushes to move beyond the current Minurso, while Algeria stalls in Washington
Morocco and Algeria are stepping up their maneuvers ahead of a decisive meeting of the Security Council on the Sahara. Rabat wants to profoundly transform the Minurso, while Algiers hopes Washington will gradually relegate the issue to the background.
The diplomatic battle over the Sahara is entering a new phase. As the next Security Council discussions approach, Morocco is stepping up its diplomatic visits to secure the end of the Minurso “in its current form,” reports Africa Intelligence.
This wording does not necessarily mean that Rabat is calling for the mission’s immediate disappearance. Rather, it suggests a transformation of its mandate, format, or resources, as the political process now relies more heavily on Morocco’s autonomy proposal.
The Security Council had already made a major change in October 2025 by placing this initiative at the center of the negotiations. Resolution 2797 simultaneously extended the Minurso’s mandate until October 31, 2026, when the Council’s fifteen members will once again have to decide on its future. The UN resolution therefore constitutes the starting point of the diplomatic battle currently under way.
Morocco now wants to turn this political advance into a concrete modification of the UN framework. It is seeking to convince Council members that maintaining the mission in its current configuration no longer corresponds to the new framework for the negotiations.
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This offensive extends the steps undertaken since the resolution was adopted. Rabat notably presented a detailed version of its autonomy plan, while Washington organized several exchanges between Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Polisario.
Algeria is betting on American disengagement
Algiers is adopting a different strategy. According to Africa Intelligence, the Algerian authorities are counting on Washington to “deprioritize” the Sahara. They thus hope that the US administration will devote less political effort to a rapid settlement of the conflict.
This wager comes, however, as the United States retains a decisive role. Washington traditionally prepares the Security Council’s draft resolutions on the Minurso and continues to support autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the basis for a settlement.
Algeria is therefore maintaining dialogue with the US administration. Massad Boulos, Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Africa, visited Algiers for the third time in fourteen months on September 13. His talks with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf notably addressed the Sahara.
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The two countries thus hold opposing views of the future role of the United States. Morocco is counting on American involvement to accelerate the transformation of the UN process. Algeria, by contrast, hopes that the issue will lose importance on Washington’s agenda.
The next deadline will above all show how far the Security Council members are prepared to go. An unchanged renewal of the Minurso would postpone the decision. A substantial modification of its mandate would instead confirm that the framework adopted in 1991 is entering its final phase.
