On September 10, the Algerian Foreign Ministry announced the severing of diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, shocking the region. Algiers claimed that it made the decision after Abu Dhabi continued to engage in "provocative and hostile" actions despite repeated warnings from the North African state.
While the statement did not detail the specific acts involved, the move very likely reflected years of Algerian frustration over the UAE's increased and continued support for actors and causes at odds with Algerian foreign policy in places like the Sahel and Palestine. Algeria stated that for many of these issues, it had tried to resolve them diplomatically, until patience finally ran out.
In response, the Emirati Foreign Ministry simply stated that it hoped such a rupture would be temporary and reassured the Algerian diaspora in the country that little would change.While far apart, and often on opposite ends of regional issues, Algeria and the UAE have a long history of economic cooperation and investment, and this move is the latest sign of Algiers' increasingly dramatic foreign policy.
Happier times
Before recent conflicts across the Middle East and North Africa, Algeria and the UAE were far from geopolitical rivals, but increasingly close economic partners.
Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika specifically cultivated relations with Emirati officials during his exile from power circles, and when he did become president in 1999, he utilised those ties to bring in Emirati investment, giving Abu Dhabi preferred access to Algerian markets. Emirati influence in the country was then characterised through economic investments and closeness to the Bouteflika leadership.
Throughout Bouteflika’s rule, official Emirati investments reportedly amounted to $30 billion, but now there is likely less than one billion dollars of active Emirati investment, which run at only minimum capacity or face freezing and reevaluation measures. Yet, the importance of these investments lies not in the amount, but in the strategic sectors targeted.
