The United States has effectively entered a phase of “re-engineering” the political process surrounding the Western Sahara issue through intensive and undeclared diplomatic moves involving Morocco, Algeria, and other international parties, Moroccan governmental sources told Assahifa Arabic.
According to the same sources, Washington is seeking to push toward a final settlement under the umbrella of the United Nations amid growing conviction within American decision-making circles that Morocco’s autonomy initiative is increasingly viewed internationally as “the most realistic and viable basis” for a political solution after years of deadlock within the Security Council.
The sources added that the United States will host a new round of intensive political and diplomatic consultations in Washington in the coming days aimed at reactivating the UN-led political process in an international context marked by increasing support among several Western capitals for Morocco’s 2007 autonomy initiative as “the most serious and realistic basis” for any future political settlement under UN supervision.
The same sources explained that the ongoing American efforts are part of a broader dynamic led by Washington for months to revive the political process based on recent Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2797 adopted at the end of October 2025, which renewed calls for reaching a “realistic, practical, durable and compromise-based political solution.”
According to the sources, discussions within the Security Council are no longer limited to mechanisms related to managing the ceasefire or renewing the mandate of the UN mission, but now also include a broader assessment of the future of the entire political process in light of the changes witnessed in recent years, both in terms of diplomatic balances and growing international support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal.
The sources stressed that the United States, which officially recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in December 2020, still considers the autonomy initiative a “serious, realistic and credible framework,” the same wording increasingly adopted by several major international powers, including France, Spain, and a number of European, African, and Arab countries.
The sources further noted that the current US move also reflects growing awareness within Western decision-making circles that continued political stagnation in the region no longer serves regional stability, especially amid rising security challenges in the Sahel region, including expanding smuggling networks, irregular migration, and cross-border armed groups.
In this context, the sources said Washington has held a series of contacts over recent months with the various parties concerned by the issue, including Morocco and Algeria, in addition to consultations hosted in both Madrid and Washington away from the spotlight, in an effort to create the political conditions necessary for relaunching negotiations under UN auspices.
Moroccan diplomatic circles believe the latest developments reflect a gradual shift in the international approach to the dispute, moving from a logic of “managing the crisis” toward one focused on “seeking a viable political settlement,” especially after the referendum option continued to face complex legal, political, and demographic difficulties over several decades.
The same sources added that Morocco continues to stress in its international contacts that any political solution to the conflict must take place within the framework of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and on the basis of the autonomy initiative, which Rabat considers the ceiling of the proposed political solution.
At the same time, discussions continue within the United Nations regarding the future of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), established in 1991.
According to UN-related data cited by the sources, the mission’s budget exceeded 58 million euros last year, amid growing questions within some international circles regarding its effectiveness after more than three decades without reaching a final settlement to the dispute.
The same information indicates that the ongoing review within the Security Council includes several scenarios concerning the future role of the UN mission during the next phase, including reassessing its size, field deployment, and mandate, as efforts continue to inject new momentum into the political process ahead of the renewal of its mandate next October.
