Algiers says it exhausted all efforts to preserve relations and accuses Abu Dhabi of repeated provocative and hostile actions.
Web Desk: Algeria has severed diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accusing Abu Dhabi of a series of “provocative or hostile” actions and saying that all efforts to preserve bilateral relations had been exhausted.
The Algerian Foreign Ministry announced the decision on Thursday, September 10, following years of increasingly strained relations between the two countries.
UAE ambassador given 48 hours to leave
Algeria’s Foreign Ministry said the UAE ambassador was summoned and informed of the decision.
The envoy was given 48 hours to comply with the decision, according to the ministry.
The UAE Foreign Ministry had not immediately issued a response to Reuters’ request for comment.
Algeria said Abu Dhabi’s actions had reached a level that could no longer be considered acceptable or tolerable and that repeated warnings had failed to resolve the dispute.
Relations had deteriorated for years
The diplomatic break follows a prolonged deterioration in relations between Algiers and Abu Dhabi.
Algerian media have increasingly criticised the UAE and accused it of attempting to create regional instability. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has also previously accused an unnamed Gulf state of interfering in Algeria’s internal affairs and seeking to destabilise the country.
While Algeria has not publicly detailed every action that prompted Thursday’s decision, the two countries have increasingly found themselves on opposing sides of several major regional issues.
Western Sahara remains a major point of disagreement
One of the key disputes involves Western Sahara, where Algeria and the UAE support opposing positions.
The UAE supports Morocco’s claim to sovereignty over the disputed territory and has established a consulate there.
Algeria, meanwhile, supports the Polisario Front, which seeks independence for Western Sahara.
The disagreement is particularly sensitive because Algeria and Morocco have long been regional rivals.
Different positions on Israel
The two countries have also taken different positions on relations with Israel.
Algeria opposes normalisation with Israel, while the UAE established diplomatic relations with Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020.
Morocco, another major Algerian regional rival, also established diplomatic ties with Israel under the accords.
These contrasting foreign-policy positions have contributed to broader differences between Algiers and Abu Dhabi.
Tensions also extend to the Sahel
The countries’ interests increasingly overlap in the Sahel, where the UAE has expanded relationships with several governments.
Algeria, meanwhile, has faced increasingly difficult relations with some of its southern neighbours following a series of military coups in the region.
The competing regional interests have added another layer to the deterioration of Algeria-UAE relations.
Air services agreement was already being cancelled
The diplomatic rupture follows another significant deterioration in bilateral ties earlier this year.
In February 2026, Algeria began procedures to cancel an air services agreement with the UAE that had been signed in Abu Dhabi in May 2013.
That move was widely seen as another sign of the worsening relationship.
