​In a statement published on May 3, 2026, former diplomat and former Algerian minister Abdelaziz Rahabi delivers an uncompromising analysis of the situation in Western Sahara.
Abdelaziz Rahabi describes a diplomatic acceleration that he considers artificial, orchestrated according to him by an American strategy aimed at transferring the sovereignty of the Sahrawi people to Morocco, disregarding the legal frameworks established by the United Nations.
​An American diplomacy between urgency and partiality
​According to Abdelaziz Rahabi, Washington is now making a clear break with the historical mediations of James Baker or Christopher Ross. The current US administration is reportedly following an agenda marked by urgency, acting more as a stakeholder than an impartial mediator. This shift, initiated by the Abraham Accords and the American recognition of the Moroccan nature of the territory in 2020, would have created a ripple effect within Western powers, transforming a decolonization conflict into an issue in the struggle for influence on the Atlantic coast and in the Sahel.
​The former diplomat underlines that the Moroccan autonomy plan of 2007, which remained a dead letter for a long time, is today benefiting from renewed promotion not for its intrinsic relevance, but because of the diplomatic and financial power of Rabat’s supporters, including France and the United Arab Emirates.
​The erasure of multilateral bodies
​Mr. Rahabi’s analysis also points to a worrying paralysis of the UN Security Council. He believes that without the vigilance of Russia, China and the insistence of Algeria on the principle of self-determination, Minurso could have been diverted from its initial mission to become a simple instrument supporting the fait accompli.
​The argument of the “too long duration” of the conflict, often invoked by the former colonial powers, is perceived by Rahabi as a process devoid of consideration for the 200,000 Sahrawi refugees. He pleads for a return to the long term of diplomacy, the only guarantee of a credible decolonization process where the Sahrawi people would remain the sole decision-maker of their destiny through consultation.
​Les inquiétudes sécuritaires de l’Algérie
​For Abdelaziz Rahabi, this regional reconfiguration carries the seeds of planned instability. Algeria, faithful to its sovereignist doctrine, cannot accept the emergence of a new security reality at its borders, especially since it perceives behind this architecture the desire of the United States to consolidate influence of Israel in North Africa via its alliance with Morocco.
​In conclusion, the ex-diplomat warns that Western Sahara is now part of a “growing tension” linking Libya and Mali. Faced with what he describes as a coalition of hostile forces, he recalls that any solution devoid of international and popular legitimacy will remain precarious, endangering the overall security of a region already under high tension.
Samia Naït Iqbal
