Sahrawi activists demanded recognition of the independence of Western Sahara.

Among Trump's last acts in office was the recognition of Morocco's illegal occupation of Western Sahara. Biden did not reverse this decision. Now it's Trump's turn again. The Sahrawi people are stubbornly refusing to have their future dictated from abroad. Morocco, Algeria, and the Polisario Front negotiated in Madrid, under US leadership, about the future of Western Sahara. Rabat presented a new autonomy plan (40 pages) for the former Spanish colony, which is more substantial than the previous one. Despite pressure from Massad Boulos, Donald Trump's envoy, the Sahrawi people and their Algerian backers refuse to relinquish the self-determination agreed upon 35 years ago. The meetings took place on February 8 and 9, 2026, at the US Embassy in Madrid and were held in secret. Representatives from Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario Front, and Mauritania participated in the talks, which were led by US officials including Massad Boulos and UN envoy Staffan de Mistura. Algeria and Mauritania participated as observers. The talks are based on UN Resolution 2797, which recognizes Morocco's autonomy plan as a serious basis for a solution. Morocco presented an expanded version of its 2007 autonomy plan to strengthen its sovereignty over Western Sahara. The goal is a political framework agreement to be reached in Washington by May 2026. The negotiations mark the first direct contact since the diplomatic rupture between Morocco and Algeria in 2021 and are intended to lead to a final agreement under US pressure. Despite Algerian support for a self-determination referendum, Washington is pushing for the autonomy plan. Morocco currently controls approximately 80% of Western Sahara, which it has claimed as part of its territory since 1975, while the Polisario Front fights for the independence of the entire territory and controls about 20%. In 2020, under President Trump, the US recognized Moroccan sovereignty in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel, and reaffirmed this position in 2025/2026, including UN resolutions and mineral agreements. This is a matter of diplomatic recognition of control. In 2020, Morocco unilaterally expanded its claimed maritime zones, extending its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf to the waters off Western Sahara. Since Western Sahara is a separate territory from Morocco, these maritime claims are not internationally recognized and lack any legal basis. Recent developments, such as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of February 4, 2026, concerning critical minerals, and UN Security Council resolutions (October/November 2025), strengthen Morocco's position strategically and economically without ignoring the rights of the Sahrawi people under international law—the UN continues to call for negotiations. Algeria and the Polisario Front criticize this as one-sided. The US is supporting Morocco in its efforts to force the Sahrawi people to cede 80% of their land to Moroccan control. The US has its eye on minerals in occupied Western Sahara, Western Sahara Resource Watch Western Sahara: Resistance is growing in Africa's last colony, Jacobi