The dramatic announcement came during an hour-long interview with CBS News and veteran journalist Lesley Stahl, conducted alongside Jared Kushner, President Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law. While the conversation primarily focused on recent developments in Gaza, Witkoff seized the closing moments of the broadcast to deliver this unexpected bombshell about the Maghreb region.
The declaration represents the clearest signal yet that the Trump administration intends to resolve one of North Africa’s longest-running diplomatic disputes through American-brokered negotiations. The two neighboring countries have had no diplomatic relations since August 2021, when Algeria severed ties citing “hostile acts”—a move Morocco described as unjustified.
Key Players in the Peace Process
Jared Kushner, who participated in the CBS interview, emphasized that the expected agreement represents “a historic opportunity to open a new page of cooperation and joint development.” He explained that Washington is paying “exceptional attention to ending differences and building a common future based on peace and prosperity.”
Algeria Shows Signs of Openness
Although Witkoff did not directly mention the Western Sahara dispute during the CBS interview, Trump’s adviser on African affairs, Massad Boulos—who is also the father of Trump’s son-in-law Michael Boulos—provided crucial context in a recent interview with Asharq News, a Bloomberg affiliate.
Boulos stated that Algeria wants a “fundamental and final solution to the Western Sahara dispute” and revealed he recently met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, finding him “open to rebuilding bridges of trust with the Moroccan people, with the King, and with the Moroccan government.”
“In the end, the two countries are brotherly nations and neighbors who share a long history, values, and many interests,” Boulos added, expressing optimism that “this matter will, God willing, find a positive and lasting outcome.”
Understanding the Western Sahara Conflict
🏜️ The Heart of the Dispute
The Western Sahara dispute has persisted for nearly five decades since the end of the Spanish colonial period. Morocco and Algeria have endured decades of strained relations, largely due to their conflicting positions on this territory.
🇲🇦 Morocco’s Position
Morocco considers Western Sahara an integral part of its sovereign territory and has put forward its 2007 autonomy plan as the only realistic and pragmatic path to a lasting solution. The plan offers substantial self-rule for the Sahrawi region under Moroccan sovereignty, allowing local administration while Morocco retains oversight over foreign affairs and defense.
🇩🇿 Algeria’s Position
Algeria supports the Polisario Front, funding and hosting its leadership in the Tindouf camps, while advocating for a referendum on independence for the Sahrawi people. Algeria claims it is merely an advocate for self-determination and an “observer” rather than a direct party to the dispute.
Growing International Support for Morocco
🌐 Global Backing for Autonomy Plan
Over recent years, Morocco’s autonomy plan has gained increasing international recognition, with major global powers endorsing Morocco’s proposal as “the most serious, realistic, and credible solution” to the nearly five-decade dispute.
Several African and other nations have also opened diplomatic representations in the southern cities of Laayoune and Dakhla to express their backing for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara.
King Mohammed VI’s Vision for Peace
Massad Boulos referred to King Mohammed VI’s recent Throne Speech, calling it “historic” and noting that the monarch clearly expressed his determination to reach a lasting and fair solution to the Sahara issue—one that satisfies all sides.
The Moroccan monarch has offered multiple olive branches to Algeria, reiterating his open stance in multiple speeches and calling for a “consensual” solution—”one that saves face for all parties” and “where there will be neither victor nor vanquished.”
📅 Recent Diplomatic Timeline
US Strategy: Autonomy as Only Viable Solution
Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States has consistently pushed for a settlement based exclusively on autonomy for the southern provinces under Moroccan sovereignty. This single announcement represents the culmination of a dynamic Washington has been building in the Maghreb, particularly around the Western Sahara dossier.
Evidence of this strategic shift is clear: the draft of UN Security Council Resolution 2025, for which Washington holds the pen, marks a decisive turning point. Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara under its sovereignty is now presented as “the only” credible solution to the conflict and “the most realistic basis” for any future negotiations.
Boulos emphasized the importance of the coming weeks, pointing out that the UN Security Council will soon meet to renew the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and discuss related issues. He aligned two milestones heavy with significance: the fiftieth anniversary of the conflict and the countdown leading to the next Security Council vote, expected to definitively seal the Western Sahara dossier in favor of Moroccan sovereignty.
Abraham Accords Connection
🕊️ Algeria’s Potential Inclusion
Under President Trump, the United States is continuously working for world peace in the region. Morocco is already a proud member of the Abraham Accords, the historic peace agreements that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations.
US officials have continually stated that Algeria may soon join the Abraham Accords as part of this broader regional reconciliation and peace-building effort. This would represent a transformative shift in North African geopolitics and open unprecedented opportunities for regional cooperation and development.
Algeria’s Contradictory Signals
Officially—and this is extremely rare—Algiers has refrained from any comment on the content of the 2025 Security Council resolution draft. The same silence has followed statements from both Boulos and Witkoff.
Most troubling for Algerian hardliners: President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, against all expectations, carefully avoided mentioning the words “Morocco” or “Sahara” during his latest periodic televised address on September 26. During this presidential monologue broadcast on public television and radio, Tebboune made no allusion whatsoever to his western neighbor or to the dossier that has haunted Algerian diplomacy for decades—an unprecedented, almost deafening silence.
However, barely days after his conspicuous silence, on October 9, speaking from the Ministry of National Defense, Tebboune reverted to his old reflexes, expressing hope for a solution within the framework of “self-determination”—his euphemism for a referendum. This is wishful thinking, as he knows perfectly well that this option has been definitively set aside by the UN.
A Pivotal Opportunity
The current momentum constitutes a pivotal opportunity for the region. Morocco’s autonomy proposal is now backed by key global players, and there is genuine hope that renewed diplomatic efforts, including potential US mediation with Algeria, can lead to a durable normalization of relations and open the way for unprecedented regional cooperation.
In Washington’s eyes, the resolution of the Western Sahara conflict has never been closer. The US commitment to restoring relations between Morocco and Algeria within two months and quickly resolving the issue represents a historic opportunity to transform the Maghreb region.
As Jared Kushner emphasized, this represents “a historic opportunity to open a new page of cooperation and joint development,” with Washington
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