Algeria's Foreign Ministry announced Thursday a complete severance of diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates. The ministry's statement offered no detailed explanation for the immediate move, claiming only that the government had "exhausted all means and avenues to preserve bilateral relations between the countries."
The diplomatic rupture between the two Muslim nations follows years of escalating friction that began after the UAE signed the Abraham Accords in 2020. Algerian officials condemned the normalization of relations with Israel, characterizing it as an attempt to isolate Algeria within the Muslim world.
Algeria is furious about the UAE's decision to open an embassy in the Western Sahara region, currently under Moroccan control but at the center of an ongoing conflict with the Sahrawi people, who are calling for an independent state in the territory. Algeria supports the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi national liberation movement, and advocates for a diplomatic solution to the issue, while the UAE recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over the region.
In recent years, the Algerian government and media have accused the UAE of attempting to "undermine regional stability" in North Africa, including through its support for rebel organizations in Libya and Sudan. This past February, the airline route connecting Algiers to Dubai was canceled after 13 years of operation.
