Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune hosted Saudi Arabia’s Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud in Algiers on Monday for high-level discussions focused on strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing security cooperation between the two nations.
The Saudi delegation delivered formal greetings from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, expressing royal wishes for Algeria’s continued progress and prosperity. This diplomatic engagement occurs against the backdrop of escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two traditional allies now pursuing competing strategic interests across North and East Africa.
Long-standing regional partners Saudi Arabia and the UAE have experienced growing policy divergences, particularly evident in their opposing stances in conflicts within Yemen and Sudan. Algeria finds itself at the center of this geopolitical reconfiguration, with multiple reports indicating potential diplomatic rupture between Algiers and Abu Dhabi.
Algerian media outlet El-Khabar has reported that Algeria is considering severing diplomatic relations with the UAE due to activities perceived as destabilizing and hostile to both Algerian national unity and broader Arab interests. Algerian authorities have repeatedly criticized, without explicitly naming, what they describe as destabilization maneuvers and interference contrary to collective Arab objectives.
Official Algerian circles have specifically accused the UAE embassy of “suspicious moves” and characterized the Emirati ambassador as being “on a mission to destabilize” the country. The UAE stands accused of supporting the Paris-based Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), a separatist organization advocating independence for Algeria’s predominantly Amazigh Kabylia region.
Reports indicate the UAE has established communications with MAK, which also receives support from both Israel and Morocco. This development occurs as both Gulf nations pursue distinct international partnerships: Saudi Arabia recently signed a defense agreement with Pakistan, while the UAE concurrently agreed to deepen defense and trade ties with India.