Ua low-key crisis. Since France’s decision at the end of July to bring his support to the autonomy plan defended by Morocco for Western Sahara and to recognize the “Moroccanness” from this small disputed territory, the current no longer passes between Paris and Algiers.
On July 30, the Algerian authorities “withdrew” their ambassador to France to express their discontent. For them, the subject of Western Sahara is a red line: they support the independence activists of the Polisario Front and are calling for a self-determination referendum under the aegis of the UN. They also denounced an “unexpected, inopportune and counterproductive decision”. “The Algerian government will draw all the consequences that flow from this French decision and for which the French government alone assumes full and entire responsibility”, they had also warned.
All summer, bilateral actors dreaded the triggering of sanctions or anti-French rhetoric. Everyone feared a repeat of the Spanish precedent. In March 2022, Madrid, which had always advocated neutrality on this issue, aligned itself behind the Moroccan autonomy plan. Algiers triggered a series of sanctions against Madrid: failure to restore air and sea links after the pandemic, import halts, suspension of the friendship treaty, and other measures suddenly making cooperation impossible in many areas, from the banking sector to […] Read more
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