Algeria’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates reflects deeper disagreements over regional issues, particularly in Africa’s Sahel region and Libya, according to an international relations analyst.
Algeria announced Thursday that it was severing diplomatic relations with the UAE in a Foreign Ministry statement carried by state media.
The ministry did not provide one specific reason for the decision. Instead, it accused the UAE of engaging in what it called “provocative and hostile actions” and “regrettable and unjustified behavior.”
According to the statement, Algeria had exhausted all available efforts to maintain its bilateral relationship with the UAE before deciding to sever diplomatic ties.
The announcement was also broadcast on Algerian public television and reported by the official APS news agency.
Smail Debeche, a professor of international relations at the University of Algiers III, said the move was largely driven by what he described as UAE actions targeting Algeria at the regional level.
He pointed specifically to developments in Africa’s Sahel region and Libya, where the interests and positions of the two countries have increasingly diverged.
Debeche also cited a recent media campaign in the UAE and its coverage of wildfires in Algeria as further evidence of deteriorating relations between the two countries.
Despite the diplomatic rupture, Debeche argued that Algeria and the UAE should still seek a meeting because both countries are members of the Arab League.
He said such talks would be important for maintaining at least a minimum level of cooperation among Arab countries, even as tensions between Algiers and Abu Dhabi remain high.
