CIA Report Reveals Algeria’s Strategic Motives in Western Sahara Conflict

Far from being motivated by ideals of self-determination, Algeria’s policy in the Sahara would be guided by a desire for regional hegemony and destabilization of Morocco.

The CIA report, made public after several years, depicts an "outdated" Algerian regime, prisoner of a Soviet ideology and animated by ambitions of domination. The objective? To establish a "vassal state" in Western Sahara to ensure strategic access to the Atlantic Ocean and weaken Morocco.

This confidential document confirms that the Sahara conflict is instrumentalized by Algeria in a power struggle with Morocco. By supporting the Polisario Front, Algeria would seek to deprive Morocco of its natural resources and hinder its economic development.

The CIA report also underscores the historical dimension of this rivalry. Since the time of Houari Boumédiène, Algeria has perceived Morocco’s control of the Sahara as an obstacle to its regional ambitions.