Algeria Cuts Diplomatic Ties With UAE

Algeria has announced that it is cutting diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, accusing Abu Dhabi of a series of "provocative or hostile" actions despite repeated warnings.

Algeria's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the UAE's conduct had reached a point where it could no longer be accepted and that all efforts to preserve bilateral relations had been exhausted.

The Emirati ambassador was summoned to the Algerian Foreign Ministry and formally informed of the decision. Algeria gave him 48 hours to comply with the requirements arising from the diplomatic break.

Later on Thursday, Algeria announced that it would close its airspace to all UAE-registered civilian and military aircraft from Friday, according to local reports citing the country's Defence Ministry.

However, UAE commercial flights operating to and from Algiers will be exempt from the airspace restrictions until the end of 2026. The exemption is linked to an existing contract that is due to expire at that time.

The UAE expressed hope that Algeria's decision would only be temporary.

Its Foreign Ministry said the UAE continued to value the Algerian people and the longstanding ties between the two countries, including those involving the large Algerian community living in the UAE and Algerian visitors.

Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, also commented on the issue without directly naming Algeria. Writing on X, he said diplomatic relations should be based on "rationality, communication and clarity of interests", rather than unclear messages and signals.

The diplomatic rupture follows years of increasingly strained relations between Algiers and Abu Dhabi, with the two governments taking opposing positions on several major regional issues.

Algeria has strongly opposed normalisation between Arab states and Israel. The UAE established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, while Algeria has continued to support the Palestinian cause.

The countries are also divided over Western Sahara. The UAE supports Morocco's claim to sovereignty over the disputed territory and has established a consulate there, while Algeria supports the Polisario Front, which seeks independence for Western Sahara.

Their strategic interests have also increasingly come into conflict across the Sahel region of Africa.

The UAE has expanded its relations with governments across the Sahel, while Algeria has faced worsening relations with some of its southern neighbours following a series of military coups.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has repeatedly criticised the UAE, at times describing it as a "micro-state" or "statelet" that he believes is seeking to destabilise countries in the region.

In a televised interview in July, Tebboune accused the UAE of having a "very negative impact" in areas where it had become involved.

"Wherever they set foot, blood flows," he said, while warning that Algeria wanted the UAE to remain away from its territory and regional affairs.

Tebboune also said at the time that diplomatic relations would likely have been severed much earlier if Algeria had not sought to prevent further divisions within the Arab world.

The decision to formally break diplomatic ties now marks a significant escalation in the increasingly tense relationship between the two countries and could have wider implications for their political and strategic interests across North Africa and the Middle East.