Algeria has cut diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and moved to close its airspace to UAE-registered aircraft, marking one of the most serious ruptures between the two nations in recent memory.
The decision, announced this week, followed what Algerian officials describe as a mounting pattern of “provocative and hostile” conduct by Abu Dhabi. At the centre of the dispute is Western Sahara, the contested territory where Algeria backs the Polisario Front’s push for independence while the UAE has thrown its weight behind Morocco’s claim to sovereignty, reportedly going as far as opening a consulate in the disputed region.
Algiers has also accused the UAE of fuelling instability well beyond North Africa, pointing to alleged financial and political backing for competing factions in Libya, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s civil war, and expanding activity in Mali and Niger, close to Algeria’s own borders. Adding to the tension, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is said to have accused the UAE of supporting the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia, a group Algeria has designated as a terrorist organisation.
The relationship has also been strained by the UAE’s role in the 2020 Abraham Accords normalising ties with Israel, a move Algeria has consistently opposed, along with what it sees as Emirati pressure on other Arab states, including Morocco, to follow suit.
Under the new measures, all UAE-registered civilian and military aircraft are barred from Algerian airspace effective midnight local time, though commercial passenger routes are expected to continue operating until existing contracts lapse at the end of the year. The UAE’s ambassador in Algiers has reportedly been given 48 hours to leave the country.
The UAE’s foreign ministry has responded cautiously, expressing hope that the rupture will prove temporary and reaffirming what it called “fraternal ties” between the two nations.
The fallout is being closely watched across the region, where Algeria has positioned itself as a vocal counterweight to Gulf-backed influence in North and West Africa. Analysts say the airspace closure, while largely symbolic in the near term given the commercial flight exemption, signals how far the diplomatic breakdown has escalated — and raises questions about whether other African and Arab states will be drawn into taking sides.