Algeria cuts diplomatic ties with the UAE

Algeria has severed diplomatic relations with the UAE, citing years of escalating tensions and accusing Abu Dhabi of interfering in national and regional affairs. The decision comes after Algeria's foreign ministry released a statement expressing Algeria's frustration with the UAE's provocative and hostile acts, though no specific details were provided. The foreign ministry stated that all diplomatic avenues had been exhausted in an attempt to resolve the issues, and the UAE's actions had become intolerable.

Algerian state television accused the UAE of a hostile media campaign last year, following an interview with historian Mohamed Amine Belghit, who questioned the existence of Algeria's indigenous Amazigh culture. Belghit was later jailed in Algeria but pardoned by President Abdelmajid Tebboune. The deterioration in relations is also attributed to differing diplomatic policies, including the UAE's normalization of ties with Israel in 2020.

President Tebboune has frequently referred to the UAE as a "micro-state" or "statelet" that seeks to destabilize countries in the region, citing Libya, Mali, and Sudan as examples. In a July televised interview, Tebboune stated that the UAE has had a "very negative impact" and that blood would flow wherever they went. He added that a diplomatic break would have occurred earlier if Algeria had not attempted to avoid deepening divisions in the Arab world.

The Algerian foreign ministry warned the UAE ambassador to comply within 48 hours, expressing that the decision had reached a point where the UAE's actions could no longer be deemed acceptable or tolerable. No immediate response has been received from UAE authorities.