Algeria has involved the African Union in the heart of its diplomatic moves related to the Western Sahara conflict, taking advantage of the convening of the twelfth edition of the Peace and Security Conference in Africa, the “Oran Process,” to reintroduce the issue within the continental corridors, through talks that brought together its Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, in an attempt to revive the role of the continental organization in a file that the United Nations has exclusively supervised for decades.
Despite this move, the African Union Commission’s position remained firm, based on what was agreed upon during the Nouakchott Summit in 2018, when it was emphasized that the conflict should only be addressed under the auspices of the United Nations, and that the continental organization’s role was limited to supporting UN efforts.
Algeria’s attempt to highlight the Union’s presence in this issue comes at a time when international support for the Polisario’s thesis is steadily declining, in contrast to the growing support for the autonomy initiative, which the Security Council described in its latest resolution 2797 as a realistic approach to a settlement.
In parallel, during the closing of the meeting organized in cooperation with the African Union on December 1 and 2, Algeria tried to present the Polisario separatist vision as an African position, in an extension of its positions against the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco, taking advantage of the presence of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations in charge of peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, along with the foreign ministers from various countries of the continent.
During his speech to the participants, the Algerian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, included the Sahara conflict among the priorities of the discussion, offering direct support to the Polisario Front under the title of “decolonization,” speaking in a language aimed at reviving the issue within Africa.
The Algerian official was also keen to send political messages that place the conflict at the forefront of regional issues, even as he presents it before other declared issues, including the Palestinian issue, which Algeria claims to support in international forums.
In this regard, political actor and researcher in contemporary history, Dadai Bebout, believes that Algeria’s hosting, over two days, of the “Oran Process” seminar on peace and security in Africa, with the participation of officials from the African Union and African foreign ministers, came within the framework of an attempt to strengthen strategic opportunities to revive its diplomatic and political agenda related to the fabricated Moroccan Sahara conflict within the continental corridors.
In a statement to the Hespress electronic newspaper, Bibout added that this step comes after the absence of the Algerian narrative promoting self-determination leading to secession, as a result of the international momentum gained by the Moroccan plan to grant the southern provinces autonomy that guarantees their inhabitants the right to local management, in accordance with Security Council Resolution No. 2797, which enshrined the autonomy proposal as a more serious basis for reaching a final solution to the conflict that has lasted for five decades.
The researcher in contemporary and modern history explained that Algeria, through its seat on the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, seeks to strengthen its position and influence on the continental and international discourse related to regional conflicts. This was evident in the invitation extended by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssef, and the attempt to include Algeria’s position and viewpoint on the conflict in order to win over the leaders of the African Union and to present itself as an influential regional power.
Regarding the impact of these maneuvers on the political process, Bibout stressed that Algeria’s attempt to transform the “Oran track” into a platform for promoting the Polisario narrative has not yielded tangible results, as representatives of the African Union thwarted the Front’s participation in meetings with international partners during the 45th session of the Executive Council in Accra in July 2024, which weakened Algeria’s ability to use this card as a diplomatic tool.
“The frequency of Algerian diplomatic setbacks has imposed a new international reality,” notes the same political analyst, before adding that “these attempts aim to confuse matters and link the conflict to continental sovereignty and decolonization, but they have not changed the international constants related to the UN solution and the international community’s recognition of the Moroccan autonomy plan.”
Daddah Bebout noted that Algeria’s efforts to promote the “Oran Process” as an exclusively African framework for seeking a solution to the conflict remain attempts to legitimize the self-determination thesis, pointing out that “these efforts have not gone beyond the scope of intensive handling of a conflict that Algeria considers a constant part of its foreign policy, and that they clash with the reality of increasing international support for the Moroccan autonomy proposal.”
For his part, Said Bouchakouk, a researcher interested in development and field issues, said that the ruling regime in Algeria is still acting outside the norm by disregarding international legitimacy resolutions, especially UN Resolution 2797, which clearly defined the framework for a sustainable solution to the fabricated conflict over the Moroccan Sahara, which is based on granting the southern provinces autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty and a negotiation mechanism between the parties. He pointed out that “the matter is not limited to one party and the United Nations, but also includes the formal framework that requires the conflict to be discussed exclusively within the UN Security Council, in accordance with the position of the African Union since the Nouakchott Summit in 2018.”
In a statement to the Hespress electronic newspaper, Bouchakouk explained that the arbitrary and unilateral inclusion of the conflict issue in the “Oran Process” conference on peace and security in Africa represents further evidence of the failure of Algerian diplomacy to gain international support for its positions, in contrast to the rising and continuous support for the Moroccan proposal, which combines realism and legitimacy, and gives the conflict a serious opportunity for a political settlement.
The researcher, who is familiar with the intricacies of the conflict, confirmed that this Algerian approach reflects a new confusion in foreign policies, a rise in the level of uncertainty, and a lack of commitment to the requirements of international legitimacy, which exacerbates its isolation at the regional and international levels and weakens its ability to influence diplomatic paths related to the conflict.
The same political analyst continued, saying: “Algeria’s attempts to turn African seminars into a platform to re-promote its separatist thesis, despite its continued failure, reflect the regime’s desire to regain temporary influence at the continental level, but these attempts remain weak in the face of the international momentum gained by the Moroccan approach to autonomy, and the guarantees it provides for the territorial integrity and unity of the Kingdom of Morocco.”
The source told Hespress that Algeria’s continued adherence to this approach will not change the international constants related to the conflict, nor will it affect the international process, which enshrines the role of the Security Council as the exclusive body for managing the settlement process.
In this context, Said Bouchakouq believes that the Algerian position reflects a formal challenge rather than a real one, and said: “It is clear that any attempt to involve the African Union or others in the conflict will remain of limited effect in the face of the growing international recognition of the Moroccan autonomy plan as a realistic and serious solution to the conflict.”
