Algeria has cancelled its air transport agreement with the United Arab Emirates, a move that appeared closer to a political message than an administrative measure. The decision, taken last Saturday, came days after President Abdelmadjid Tebboune gave an interview on state television in which he spoke in sharp terms about a dispute with what he called a “state or mini-state” seeking to undermine his country’s stability. He warned: “Do not make us regret the day we ever knew you.”
In Algeria, there was little ambiguity about which country he meant.
In the same interview, Tebboune was careful to draw a clear line between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. He described relations with Saudi Arabia as “more than strong,” adding: “What affects them affects us.”
The remark came at a time when observers are well aware of the extent of divergence between Saudi Arabia and the UAE on regional files, including Yemen.
Tensions between Algeria and Abu Dhabi did not begin this month. But they have now come into the open. What is unfolding does not appear to be merely a dispute between two capitals. In recent years, Gulf rivalries have surfaced first in Yemen and then in Sudan. Today, the lines of contact are shifting toward North Africa and the Sahel region. Algeria views that region as a direct extension of its national security, and any external presence there is met with high sensitivity. By contrast, the UAE has expanded its footprint beyond the Gulf, from the Horn of Africa to Sudan. In Algeria’s view, this expansion affects it directly.
Over the past few months, the tone of criticism of the UAE in Algeria has grown sharper and has translated into practical decisions. The question now is not only what happened, but where this trajectory is heading: are we witnessing the spillover of Gulf conflicts into a new geography?
Algerian journalist Ahmed Hafsi says Algeria’s position toward Emirati policies is a sovereign one, not subject to polarization, dictates, or what he calls the “bone-crushing battles raging in the Gulf and the Middle East,” despite the interconnectedness of political and security developments and their global repercussions.
Hafsi says Algeria was among the first to expose what it describes as “Abu Dhabi’s maneuvers and conspiracies,” and openly condemned “hostile Emirati behavior” that it says infringes on its national security and internal affairs. He rejects describing the current situation as an extension of a struggle for influence from the Gulf to North Africa, arguing that the causes of the clash between the two countries are different in nature and context.
According to Hafsi, the tension between the UAE and a number of Arab capitals is seen in Algeria as evidence validating its earlier warnings about regional policies it considers hostile.
Relations between Algeria and the UAE did not slide into their current level of tension suddenly. Rather, they were the result of a gradual trajectory of disagreements that escalated in stages before emerging into the open as political and media confrontations and direct official decisions. This escalation has placed bilateral relations in an unprecedented predicament, marked by public exchanges of accusations and an intensifying dispute over orientations and policies.
Hafsi says the roots of this tension go back to 2019, during Algeria’s presidential election, when accusations surfaced that Abu Dhabi had attempted to influence the electoral process and support one of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s rivals—an allegation Tebboune himself later reaffirmed when he spoke of attempts to interfere in the 2019 and 2024 electoral milestones.
Initially, the disagreement remained undeclared, before coming to the fore in September 2020, when Tebboune criticized the Abraham Accords and described normalization with Israel as a “headlong rush.”
Figures close to the Emirati authorities then attacked Algeria and its president. Over time, tensions intensified and became sharper, politically and in the media.
In September 2023, Tebboune spoke of a “brotherly state” injecting money to stir unrest in several countries. Media reports subsequently accused the UAE of seeking to regionally encircle Algeria and harm its relations with Sahel countries, in addition to supporting Morocco with surveillance tools, according to Hafsi.
Hafsi stresses that the latest developments between Algeria and Abu Dhabi are inseparable from Algeria’s official position, clearly articulated by President Tebboune. He notes that Algeria repeatedly put forward opportunities for de-escalation through direct channels and third parties and even sought to play a mediating role. This included a meeting between Tebboune and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy, during which Algerian messages carried warnings against escalation if what it describes as “Emirati maneuvers” continued.
He concludes that what followed reflected, from Algeria’s perspective, a crossing of red lines, pushing relations into an extremely sensitive phase, amid a conviction among decision-makers that ties have reached a point of no return, given their view of Abu Dhabi as a state playing proxy roles in regional files.
The Emirati response to Algeria’s cancellation of the air transport agreement was calm. In a statement, the General Civil Aviation Authority said the notification falls within the legal mechanisms of bilateral and international agreements and does not have an immediate impact on flights between the two countries. It clarified that the agreement remains in force during the specified notice period and that operations continue normally, with coordination ongoing through official channels in accordance with approved legal and diplomatic frameworks.
Emirati writer Abdulaziz Al-Maamari believes the tension reflects a misunderstanding of the UAE’s regional role, stressing that it operates on the basis of development, partnerships, and investment rather than conflict.
He argues that any friction, if it exists, amounts to a difference in perspective—between those who see economic presence as political influence and those who see it as cooperation. He adds that disagreements are natural but have been exaggerated by the media.
In sum, the dispute between Algeria and the UAE appears to come within a series of controversial regional roles Abu Dhabi has played—and is still accused of playing—whether in Yemen, Sudan, Libya, or the Horn of Africa. The UAE has repeatedly denied the accusations leveled against it of fueling conflicts in the region.
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
Alhurra
Sakina Abdallah
A Saudi writer, researcher, and TV presenter
