Algeria Breaks Ties With UAE, Bans Emirati Aircraft

Algeria has cut diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accusing the country of carrying out a series of ‘provocative or hostile’ actions despite repeated warnings.

The Algerian Foreign Ministry announced the decision on Thursday, saying it had reached a point where it could no longer continue trying to maintain the relationship.

The ministry said the UAE ambassador was summoned, informed of the decision and given 48 hours to comply.

Naija News reports that Algeria also announced a ban on UAE-registered civilian and military aircraft from using its airspace from Friday.

Ennahar TV reported that the decision was announced by the Algerian Defence Ministry.

However, UAE commercial flights to and from Algiers will be allowed to continue until the end of 2026, when the current agreement expires.

The UAE has expressed hope that the diplomatic break will not be permanent.

Its Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Thursday (today), said it still valued its relationship with the Algerian people and the links between citizens of both countries.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirms the UAE’s appreciation for the brotherly Algerian people and its pride in the bonds that unite the two peoples, particularly through the Algerian community residing in the UAE and Algerian visitors,” the statement said.

A diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, Anwar Gargash, also reacted in a post on 𝕏, although he did not mention Algeria by name.

He said diplomatic relations should be based on “rationality, communication and clarity of interests” rather than “riddles and signals that require decoding”.

Naija News reports that the relationship between Algeria and the UAE has been getting worse over the past few years as both countries have taken different positions on a number of issues in the region.

Algeria is opposed to normalizing relations with Israel, while the UAE established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords.

Morocco, Algeria’s regional rival, also normalized relations with Israel under the agreement.

Western Sahara is another major point of disagreement.

The UAE backs Morocco’s claim over the disputed territory and has a consulate there. Algeria, on the other hand, supports the Polisario Front, which wants an independent Western Sahara.

The two countries have also found themselves on different sides of developments in the Sahel.

While the UAE has expanded its relationship with several governments in the region, Algeria has had strained relations with some of its southern neighbours following a number of military coups.

Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune has openly criticized the UAE on several occasions.

He has described the country as a micro-state or ‘statelet’ and accused it of trying to destabilize countries in the region.

“Wherever they set foot, blood flows,” Tebboune said during a televised interview in July.

He also accused the UAE of having a “very negative impact” in the region.

“We want them to stay away, so that blood does not flow in our country,” he added.

Tebboune had said at the time that Algeria could have broken diplomatic relations with the UAE much earlier, but chose not to because it did not want to deepen divisions in the Arab world.