Algeria Blocks Spanish Meat Imports Amid Ongoing Western Sahara Dispute

Algeria has stopped granting licenses to import Spanish meat and livestock, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reveals. As a result, Spanish suppliers are looking for other markets to offset their losses in the Algerian market, as Algeria is considered an important customer for Spain in the field of meat and live cattle. Last year, it imported 20,000 tons of meat and 25,000 head of cattle.

The origin of this suspension of licenses by Algeria is the new position of Spain on the Sahara issue. Last March, the Moroccan royal palace had, in a statement, announced that the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, had indicated that the Moroccan "autonomy" plan for the Sahara is "the most serious, realistic and credible basis for resolving the dispute". A gesture of support long demanded by Rabat but viewed with disfavor by Algiers, which continues to punish its partner.