Algeria Cuts Diplomatic Ties With UAE

posted on: Sep 16, 2026

By: Connor J. Buss / Arab America Contributing Writer

On September 10, Algeria abruptly cut diplomatic ties with the UAE and instructed the ambassador to leave within 48 hours. This choice comes from years of mounting tensions, particularly over political disagreements. It boiled over when the Algerian government accused the UAE of “provocative and hostile acts,” without providing further details.

“Algeria has decided to cut diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, following the exhaustion of all means to preserve bilateral relations,” Algeria announced on state television.

“Algeria spared no effort to draw the Emirati side’s attention to, and to warn it against, the dire consequences that could result from its regrettable and unjustified conduct,” the ministry said.

Algeria’s foreign ministry claimed to have provided multiple warnings but the UAE “persisted in its actions, reaching a point where they could no longer be considered acceptable or tolerable”.

The Algerian government also announced that it was closing its airspace to all UAE-registered aircraft, with the exception of commercial flights to and from Algiers until the end of the year.

It is worth noting that Emirates, the UAE’s state-owned airline, is the sixth most profitable airline in the world. The closure of airspace may likely result in a profit loss for Algerian air industry, but also have further consequences as Algeria receives backlash.

Brewing Tension

Algeria’s actions are not completely out of the blue, though. Algeria and the UAE have had major political disagreements in previous years. One of the largest disagreements comes from Israel. Algeria opposes normalization with Israel, while the UAE supports it and established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020 through the US-backed Abraham Accords.

The two also disagree on Western Sahara. Officially called the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Western Sahara is a partially recognized state in the western Maghreb that has major land disputes with Morocco. Morocco currently occupies 4/5ths of claimed Sahrawi land. Algeria diplomatically supports Western Sahara, while the UAE joins Morocco in denying Sahrawi claims.

Morocco has claimed that Western Sahara is an Algerian puppet state that Algeria uses to fight a proxy war. Given that Morocco and Algeria border each other, the two are ripe with tension, leading the UAE to join Morocco in shared political disagreements.

Regional Disputes

However, regional disputes expand beyond the Maghreb. The UAE has also strained diplomatic relations with other nations. The UAE has repeatedly been accused of providing support to Sudanese paramilitaries committing crimes against humanity in the Sudanese Civil War. Algeria has supported these claims.

Additionally, Somalia has also come out with gripes against the UAE, accusing the country of undermining Somalian sovereignty by establishing relations with the breakaway state of Somaliland. Notably, the only UN member country that recognizes Somaliland is Israel.

The UAE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has also been strained as Saudi forces claimed to have found Emirati weapon shipments to the Southern Transitional Council, a separatist faction in the Yemeni Civil War. This comes after Saudi Arabia demanded the UAE end involvement in Yemen.

Tebboune’s Thoughts

Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune has made several critical statements directed at the UAE. He has referred to the UAE as a “microstate” or “statelet” aiming to destabilize countries such as Libya, Sudan, and Mali. The UAE has received prior accusations of involvement in these countries alongside confirmed involvement as aforementioned, but has consistently denied any involvement.

In an interview in July, Tebboune said, without naming the UAE, that the state had a “very negative impact” and that “wherever they set foot, blood flows”.

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

He added that Algeria could have broken diplomatic ties much earlier, but refrained in order to avoid diplomatic strains. Though, Algeria did begin attempts to cancel a 2013 air services agreement with the UAE in February.

Response

There has not been any major political response or backlash, but the Emirati Foreign Ministry said: “The UAE reaffirms the importance it attaches to its relations with all countries and its commitment to developing and strengthening them to serve shared interests and promote understanding, cooperation and prosperity. The UAE expresses hope that this decision will be temporary, in a manner that preserves the fraternal ties between the two brotherly peoples.” 

“Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) reaffirmed the UAE’s deep appreciation for the brotherly Algerian people and its pride in the strong ties connecting the two nations, particularly through the Algerian community residing in the UAE and Algerian visitors. The UAE remains committed to safeguarding and further strengthening these longstanding ties and mutual interests,” it concluded.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, posted on social media that diplomatic relations should be based on “rationality, communication and clarity of interests”, and not “riddles and signals that require decoding”. 

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