By Junaid Qaiser
In a development that could alter North Africa’s diplomatic map, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has revealed that Washington is working toward a peace accord between Morocco and Algeria — two neighbours divided for decades by the Western Sahara dispute. In an interview with CBS News, Witkoff said the United States expects the agreement to be reached within the next 60 days, a bold promise in a region where hostility has long hardened into habit.
The initiative reflects a widening scope of Trump’s foreign policy doctrine, one grounded in the belief that economic pressure, trade diplomacy, and strategic engagement can resolve entrenched conflicts more effectively than military might. It’s an approach that has already produced results elsewhere, from the Abraham Accords in the Middle East to the easing of tensions in South Asia.
Witkoff’s comments were reinforced by Massad Boulos, Trump’s adviser on African affairs, who recently visited both Rabat and Algiers. Boulos described Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as “open to rebuilding trust” with Morocco, calling the two nations “brotherly peoples with shared history and values.” He cited Moroccan King Mohammed VI’s recent address as a turning point, noting the monarch’s commitment to “a fair and lasting solution” to the Sahara issue — one that safeguards Moroccan sovereignty while granting significant autonomy to the Sahrawi region.
Washington’s stance has been clear since Trump’s first term: Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan is viewed as the most credible path to resolving the Western Sahara conflict. The plan offers self-governance for the Sahrawi people under Moroccan sovereignty — a framework now supported by major world powers including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. Several African and Arab nations have even opened consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla, underscoring their endorsement of Morocco’s position.
Algeria, however, remains aligned with the Polisario Front, which continues to push for a referendum on independence — an idea the United Nations and most global actors have long deemed unworkable. Since severing diplomatic ties with Morocco in August 2021, Algiers has maintained a closed border and a posture of suspicion. For years, its support for the Polisario has defined its regional identity. But in recent months, its silence on the U.S.-led initiative suggests a growing awareness that the geopolitical ground may be shifting beneath its feet.
The Trump administration sees this as a moment of opportunity. The 60-day window announced by Witkoff signals not only confidence in American diplomacy but also a belief that the region is ready for a pragmatic reset. As Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser, explained, Washington views the effort as “a historic opportunity to open a new chapter of cooperation and shared prosperity.” It’s a continuation of the Abraham Accords’ ethos — extending peace through mutual benefit rather than ideological alignment.
Trump himself framed this philosophy during a Diwali event at the White House earlier this week. Recalling a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said he urged the Indian leader to avoid war with Pakistan, emphasising that economic leverage and diplomatic pressure can stop conflicts before they start. “I called both countries and told them that if they went to war, the United States would stop trading with them,” Trump recounted. “Within 24 hours, they said they didn’t want to fight. And we have no war between Pakistan and India — that was a very, very good thing.”
This same principle — peace through strength and strategic incentive — now underpins America’s engagement in the Maghreb. Trump’s envoys have been quietly crafting a framework that links political reconciliation to economic opportunity: shared infrastructure projects, regional energy integration, and cross-border trade corridors. The message from Washington is clear — prosperity and peace must advance together.
For Morocco, the stakes are enormous. A normalization with Algeria could unlock regional economic cooperation long blocked by the closed border. For Algeria, it offers an exit from diplomatic isolation and a chance to reassert itself as a constructive regional actor. Both nations stand to gain, but success will depend on whether leaders in Algiers are willing to translate rhetoric into action.
As the United Nations prepares to renew the mandate of its Western Sahara peacekeeping mission, the U.S. is expected to press for recognition of Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the central basis for future negotiations. If an accord between Rabat and Algiers emerges within the 60-day horizon, it would represent not only a diplomatic milestone but also a validation of Trump’s foreign policy philosophy — that lasting peace can be forged through economic realism and political courage rather than coercion.
The Sahara has long been a symbol of stalemate and rivalry. Under the Trump Doctrine, it may yet become a proving ground for a new kind of diplomacy — one that replaces confrontation with calculation, and replaces suspicion with the promise of shared gain.
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