The dispute over Western Sahara’s status has been a source of regional conflict since Morocco took over the territory in 1975, which the Polisario Front opposed by waging an armed struggle for independence on behalf of the area’s ethnic Sahrawi population. On 8 and 9 February, ministerial-level delegations from the Polisario, Algeria, Mauritania and Morocco met for direct talks at the U.S. embassy in Madrid – the first since 2019. It was also the first public encounter between officials from Morocco and Algeria (which backs the Polisario) since the two countries severed diplomatic relations in 2021. The meeting launched a new negotiation round aimed at settling the dispute and was chaired by U.S. Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos and UN Ambassador Mike Waltz, with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara Staffan de Mistura also present.

The February session introduced several significant new elements when compared to previous rounds. First, the U.S. assumed a leading role, with the UN formally co-hosting but effectively relegated to a secondary position. Washington’s direct involvement is intended to increase pressure on the parties and accelerate progress toward a settlement. Secondly, the talks adopted an unprecedented quadripartite format that included Algeria and Mauritania as full participants. Both countries had previously limited their involvement to that of “regional observers”, rejecting Morocco’s claim that they were parties to the conflict and maintaining that the status of Western Sahara is a decolonisation issue to be resolved bilaterally between Rabat and the Polisario. Finally, Morocco presented a revised plan for making Western Sahara autonomous, replacing its brief 2007 proposal. The new submission is a detailed, 40-page document intended to provide a more concrete basis for negotiations.

Despite attempts by all sides to spin the meeting in their favour, it remains unclear whether the talks produced tangible outcomes. Moroccan officials claim that the revised autonomy plan was accepted as the sole framework for future discussions. Algerian and Polisario sources dispute this, arguing that Morocco made limited concessions under U.S. pressure and that the emerging contours of a possible settlement resemble a 2003 UN plan that envisaged a transitional period of autonomy followed by a self-determination referendum including independence as an option. While initial media reports suggested agreement on establishing a committee of legal and policy experts from all parties that would work on a framework agreement to be discussed in a second round in May, other informed sources stress that no such decision was formally taken.

Nonetheless, the talks created much needed diplomatic momentum by bringing the key parties together. The question is whether fundamental disagreements can be overcome in future rounds, particularly over the referendum. Algeria and the Polisario appear willing to negotiate an autonomy-based arrangement but continue to insist on a self-determination vote with independence on the ballot. Morocco rejects this demand, arguing that autonomy itself constitutes an acceptable expression of self-determination. Bridging this divide is likely to be a protracted and difficult task for U.S. mediators.