ALGERIAN PATRIOTS - ENGLISH

In its recent PolicyWatch, the Washington Institute presents the enticing prospect of a sixty-day “peace deal,” elevating the Western Sahara file as the sole key to regional de-escalation . Such a vision, while rhetorically appealing, reflects a shallow understanding of Maghrebi realities. It confuses rivalry with war — though Algiers and Rabat are not at war — and reduces a structural, decades-long antagonism that predates 1975 to a single issue: Western Sahara. Even the note itself concedes that bilateral relations are at a “historic low” without being warlike, which makes the sixty-day ultimatum more of a performative gesture than a viable diplomatic timetable. A State Rivalry Rooted in Memory, Borders, and Security From Algeria’s standpoint, the American “diplomatic clock” ignores the historical underpinnings of the dispute: the Sand War (1963–64), the colonial legacy of unclarified borders, successive cycles of tension and freeze — including the land border closure since 1994 — an...

  On November 4, 2025, Morocco announced the creation of a new national holiday, named “Unity Day” (عيد الوحدة), which will henceforth be celebrated every October 31. This day is intended to commemorate what Moroccan authorities describe as a “victory” in the Western Sahara issue. Yet this initiative raises many questions. Upon closer examination, no tangible event—whether military, diplomatic, or historical—objectively justifies the choice of this date. No decisive agreement has been signed, no new international recognition has been obtained, and no concrete progress on the ground appears to have marked this day in any significant way. It is precisely this absence of factual foundation that gives this decision both its meaning—and its controversy. By elevating October 31 to the status of a symbol of an unachieved triumph, the kingdom seems to wager on narrative over reality, on symbol over fact, on imagination over accomplishment. Thus, “Unity Day” appears less as the celebratio...

A seemingly technical decision, yet politically decisive On 31 October 2025, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, extending the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for one additional year, until October 2026. Although this may appear as a routine administrative renewal, it actually represents a critical diplomatic juncture—one that could reshape the geopolitical balance of the Maghreb and directly affect Algeria’s vital national interests. An ambiguous resolution: neither a rupture nor full continuity Adopted by 11 votes in favor and 3 abstentions (China, Russia, and Pakistan), Resolution 2797 extends the mandate of MINURSO to maintain the ceasefire and prepare the conditions for a referendum on self-determination for the Sahrawi people. Contrary to some media narratives, the resolution does not recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. It reaffirms instead the principle of self-determination, the corner...

Since 1963, the Western Sahara has been listed by the United Nations among the non-self-governing territories, awaiting the completion of the process of decolonization. This status means, in legal terms, that the fate of the territory can only be determined through a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination, in accordance with the UN Charter and successive resolutions of the General Assembly. Yet, in 2020, Morocco sought to exploit a unilateral recognition by former U.S. President Donald Trump of its alleged sovereignty over the territory—a political transaction tied to the normalization agreements known as the Abraham Accords. However, despite its media resonance, this move has no legal weight under international law, especially when compared to Trump’s own inability to alter the legal status of territories administered by the United States for decades. The United States and Its Non-Self-Governing Territories: Sovereignty on Hold The United States administers several territories...

As the United Nations Security Council prepares for its decisive vote on October 31, 2025, regarding the renewal of MINURSO’s mandate, discussions over Western Sahara have intensified, exposing a growing polarization within the international community. The draft resolution submitted by the United States—traditionally the penholder on this issue—has stirred notable controversy, revealing persistent rifts between major powers and regional actors. Established in 1991, the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was tasked with overseeing the ceasefire between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front, while preparing a self-determination referendum. Yet that referendum has never materialized, and today the mission finds itself weakened by budgetary constraints—chiefly American—and recurrent political deadlocks. In this delicate context, UN Secretary-General António Guterres recommended a one-year extension of the mandate, until October 31, 2026, to allow...

Behind the ornate walls of the Security Council, Washington has retreated from its ambition to make Morocco’s autonomy plan the sole basis for negotiation. Tested against the realities of power politics, this exclusivity collided with UN arithmetic, veto threats, and the jurisprudence of international law, reverting—yet again—to the familiar language of a “just, lasting, and mutually acceptable” solution and the routine extension of MINURSO’s mandate without doctrinal change. In the background, one structural fact remains: the U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty in December 2020, embedded in the diplomatic bargaining of the Abraham Accords, shifted the center of gravity of the issue beyond the UN framework—without creating multilateral consensus. 1) A “Plan” Without the Parties: Algeria Excluded, Sahrawis Marginalized The 2024–2025 cycles confirmed the impression of a process steered elsewhere : Algeria publicly denounced the American penholder’s “biased” approach and abstained...

Since the breakdown of the ceasefire at Guerguerat in November 2020, the Western Sahara conflict has emerged from its historical “freeze,” in a diplomatic and security environment increasingly favorable to Morocco. This dynamic stems from a combination of factors: U.S. recognition in 2020, successive alignments of key allies (Spain, Israel, then France in 2024), deepening of Moroccan-Western military interoperability, and attempts to “securitize” the Polisario in the U.S. Congress. In this context, Algeria—the Polisario’s main backer—finds its status quo diplomacy yielding diminishing returns. This article offers a diagnosis of the strategic deadlock and options for redeployment to defend Algeria’s vital interests without triggering a spiral of regional escalation.  1. From Guerguerat to the Reconfiguration of the Maghreb (2020–2025) The collapse of the ceasefire at Guerguerat in November 2020 marked the end of an era of “hibernation” for the Saharan conflict. Since then, the Wes...

A recurring media narrative today portrays Moroccan “autonomy” as the only “realistic” solution to the Western Sahara dispute, suggesting a decisive shift in international law and UN practice. This article, grounded in primary sources, demonstrates that the applicable legal framework remains unchanged: Western Sahara is still classified as a non-self-governing territory undergoing a decolonization process based on the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination. UN Security Council resolutions continue to call for a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution that ensures self-determination—without endorsing a single predetermined outcome. Recent European jurisprudence reaffirms the territory’s status as “separate and distinct” from Morocco and underscores the requirement of Sahrawi consent for any agreement affecting it. While some bilateral positions support the Moroccan initiative, they do not alter the binding nature of UN norms. 1. A Legal-Political Dispute Und...

 The claim circulated by Moroccan media that “Algeria is moving toward abstention” in the upcoming UN Security Council vote on Western Sahara is not news—it is fiction. A fiction crafted to mask Rabat’s diplomatic setbacks and to fabricate the illusion of a global consensus around an “autonomy” plan that has no foundation in international law. This narrative is less analysis than fantasy. It seeks to impose a storyline where Algeria is “isolated” and where major powers are allegedly preparing to abandon their principles. The geopolitical reality, however, is clear: neither Moscow, nor Beijing, nor Algiers will endorse any resolution that legitimizes occupation or entrenches a colonial status quo. The UN Charter is not a bargaining chip. Law, Not Illusion The question of Western Sahara is not a “regional dispute”; it is an unfinished process of decolonization. The only legitimate outcome remains the same: a credible UN-supervised referendum on self-determination. Everything else ...

On October 23, 2025 , Brahim Ghali, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Secretary-General of the POLISARIO Front, denounced a new Moroccan escalation in Western Sahara: the construction of a 93-kilometer road linking Smara to Mauritania, crossing the sand wall erected by Morocco since the 1980s. According to the UN Secretary-General’s report (S/2025/612), this road constitutes a “second passage” to Mauritania, alongside the Guerguerat corridor. In a letter addressed to António Guterres, Ghali described the initiative as a “provocative and escalatory measure,” recalling the precedent of Guerguerat in 2016. According to the POLISARIO Front, the “civilian” justification put forward by Rabat hides a political and military logic: every infrastructure south of the wall reinforces the occupation and creates facts on the ground. A Strategic Moroccan Road Under Civilian Cover The route from Smara to Bir Moghrein crosses the liberated zone and connects the occupied territory...

This Thursday afternoon, Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation, Mr. Prévot, publicly endorsed the “Moroccan autonomy plan” for Western Sahara—a project deemed illegal under international law and contrary to Algeria’s historic position. A few hours later, the same official nevertheless called his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Attaf, to discuss “calmly” cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, transport, mining, agri-food, and pharmaceuticals. Two seemingly incoherent sequences, yet deeply revealing: it is not Mr. Prévot who is ambiguous—it is Algeria that lacks a clear line. When Strategic Confusion Becomes a Constant This absurd scene—a European minister backing Morocco before extending a hand to Algeria—does not happen by chance. It reflects a perception firmly rooted in Brussels and other European capitals: Algeria does not truly know what it wants. Our diplomacy claims to be proud and sovereign, yet remains vague about its priorities. One day, it asserts neutrality o...