Feature

Trump eyes Algeria-Morocco rift over Western Sahara in latest peace bid

With the world’s attention fixed on the Gaza ceasefire, the Trump administration has its sights set on another diplomatic deal: Western Sahara.

Elizabeth Hagedorn
Elizabeth Hagedorn
Oct 30, 2025
Camels roam next to wind turbines that will supply power to a desalination plant under construction in Dakhla in the disputed Western Sahara, mostly controlled by Morocco, on May 26, 2025.
Camels roam next to wind turbines that will supply power to a desalination plant under construction in Dakhla in the disputed Western Sahara, mostly controlled by Morocco, on May 26, 2025. — ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT/AFP via Getty Images

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WASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump continues to cast himself as a global peacemaker, his administration has turned its attention to one of Africa’s longest-running territorial disputes.

In an interview this month with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said his team is working on a peace deal between neighboring Algeria and Morocco. 

“There will be a peace agreement, in my opinion, within 60 days,” Witkoff said. 

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