Algeria has announced it is cutting diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, accusing Abu Dhabi of a string of “provocative or hostile” actions that have pushed ties beyond repair. The foreign ministry said on Thursday that despite “repeated warnings”, the UAE’s behaviour had become unacceptable and that Algiers had “exhausted all means of preserving bilateral relations”. The Emirati ambassador was summoned, informed of the decision and given 48 hours to leave. There was no immediate comment from the UAE, according to Al Jazeera News.
Relations between the two countries have been fraying for years as they have taken opposing stances on several flashpoint regional issues. Algeria firmly rejects normalisation with Israel, while the UAE and Algeria’s regional rival Morocco established diplomatic ties with Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020. The pair are also on opposite sides of the long-running Western Sahara dispute: the UAE backs Morocco’s claim to sovereignty and hosts a Moroccan consulate, whereas Algeria supports the Polisario Front, which seeks an independent Western Sahara.
Their interests have increasingly collided in the Sahel, where the UAE has deepened ties with several governments in recent years, even as Algeria’s relations with some southern neighbours have soured amid a wave of military coups. Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune has repeatedly denounced the UAE in speeches as a “micro-state” or “statelet” bent on destabilising the region. “Wherever they set foot, blood flows,” he said in a televised interview in July, adding that the UAE has had a “very negative impact”. He said a diplomatic break “would have happened long ago” had Algeria not sought to avoid “deepening divisions” in the Arab world.
