After Abdelmadjid Tebboune assumed power in Algeria in 2019 following the end of the Bouteflika era, Algerian authorities bet on a return to the African and international stage in an effort to curb Morocco’s diplomatic momentum on the Western Sahara issue. Yet recent years have revealed a completely opposite trajectory, with Morocco securing unprecedented diplomatic gains, both through growing recognition of its sovereignty over the territory and expanding international support for the autonomy initiative.
During Tebboune’s presidency, Morocco succeeded in obtaining supportive positions from major world powers and convincing a growing number of states to revise their previous stances on the dispute, at a time when Algeria was seeking to restore its continental and diplomatic influence to halt Morocco’s growing momentum.
These developments appear to directly contradict expectations expressed by Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf during a television interview in late 2023, when he argued that Morocco had failed to achieve diplomatic consensus on the Western Sahara issue even during what he described as Algeria’s “absence” under late president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, questioning how Rabat could succeed after Algeria’s “return” to Africa.
The Bouteflika Era and King Mohammed VI’s African Diplomacy
In a lengthy interview on Al Jazeera’s “Athir” program in late 2023, Ahmed Attaf spoke unusually candidly about Algeria’s position during the final years of Bouteflika’s rule, acknowledging that the country had been largely absent from African and international affairs for nearly 15 years.
Attaf described Algeria’s position during that period as “vacant,” in reference to Bouteflika’s deteriorating health condition, which kept the late president away from diplomatic activity abroad for years and weakened Algeria’s presence across Africa.
In contrast, Attaf pointed to the extensive tours conducted by Mohammed VI across African countries during the same period, as Morocco worked to strengthen its economic, religious and political influence on the continent while building broad partnerships and alliances.
The Algerian minister noted that Bouteflika did not make any visits to Africa during those years, while King Mohammed VI continued his diplomatic outreach across the continent, allowing Morocco, according to Attaf himself, to expand its influence throughout Africa.
Attaf’s remarks carried implicit criticism of the Bouteflika era, suggesting that Algeria’s absence from the African scene created a vacuum that Morocco successfully exploited to reinforce its continental ties and strategic positioning.
Algeria’s Return to Africa and Attaf’s Optimism
During the same interview, Ahmed Attaf appeared highly optimistic about the post-Bouteflika period, arguing that Algeria had regained its regional and international presence after Tebboune came to power in 2019.
Attaf said Algeria had “returned” to Africa and the international arena, referring to diplomatic initiatives, official visits and Algeria’s renewed activity within the African Union and regional affairs in recent years.
Through his comments, the Algerian foreign minister appeared convinced that Algeria’s return would prevent Morocco from securing any decisive diplomatic breakthrough on the Western Sahara issue, especially since Rabat, according to his argument, had failed to achieve international or African consensus during Algeria’s years of weakness and absence.
Attaf clearly implied that Algeria would work to restore its traditional influence in Africa in order to counter Morocco’s diplomatic expansion and prevent Rabat from widening international support for the autonomy initiative or Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara.
Morocco’s Accelerating Successes and the Failure of Attaf’s Predictions
More than two years after Attaf’s remarks, political and diplomatic developments appear to have moved in a direction completely opposite to his expectations, as the Western Sahara issue has witnessed during Tebboune’s presidency some of Morocco’s most significant diplomatic breakthroughs in decades.
In 2020, Morocco secured recognition from the United States of its sovereignty over the Western Sahara, in what marked a major strategic turning point in the conflict given Washington’s status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a global power with broad international influence.
In March 2022, Spain, which holds considerable weight in the file, officially backed Morocco’s autonomy initiative after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the Moroccan proposal as “the most serious, realistic and credible basis” for resolving the dispute.
Since Attaf’s televised appearance in late 2023, the pace of international support has accelerated even further. France announced in July 2024 its clear support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara, before United Kingdom followed in June 2025 with official backing for Morocco’s autonomy initiative.
UN Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted on October 31, 2025, also reinforced international momentum behind Morocco’s approach, amid growing recognition of the autonomy initiative as the most realistic framework for resolving the dispute.
In Africa and Latin America, recognition of the so-called “Sahrawi Republic,” supported by Algeria, has continued to decline, with countries such as Mali and Honduras recently revising their positions amid expanding international support for Morocco.
At the Arab level, a notable shift also emerged in the position of Syria, which renewed its support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara after having been, during the Assad era, among the few Arab states closer to Algeria’s position on the issue.
As a result, the diplomatic record since Tebboune’s rise to power suggests that Morocco has achieved breakthroughs on the Western Sahara issue that significantly surpass those made during the Bouteflika era, directly contradicting Ahmed Attaf’s expectations regarding Algeria’s ability to contain Morocco’s diplomatic momentum following its “return” to Africa and the international stage.
