The US says it is working to achieve a solution to the Sahara conflict within an adequate time frame

The United States Undersecretary of State, Christopher Landau, reaffirmed this Wednesday Washington’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara and has assured that it is working to achieve a “peaceful” solution to the conflict within an adequate time frame.

“We have recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. We are trying, within the framework of the most recent resolution of the Security Council, to achieve a peaceful solution to this conflict that has lasted for an unacceptable time, since 1975,” he said during a press conference with the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Naser Burita, in Rabat.

Landau has specified that the resolution of the conflict cannot be extended for another 50 or 150 years, something he has described as “absurd.” “We seek a peaceful solution to this problem, but also within an adequate time frame,” he argued.

The former Spanish colony was occupied by Morocco in 1975 despite the resistance of the Polisario Front, with whom it remained at war until 1991, when both parties signed a ceasefire with a view to holding a self-determination referendum. The differences over the preparation of the census and the inclusion or not of Moroccan settlers have prevented it from being called so far.

The current negotiation is based on resolution 2797, adopted by the Security Council on October 31, 2025 at the proposal of the United States. The text supports for the first time at the highest level of the UN the Moroccan autonomy plan as a basis for a negotiated solution to the dispute.