Algeria Names Former Spain Envoy as New Ambassador to France Amid Western Sahara Tensions

Saïd Moussi presented his credentials to the King of Spain on January 13 and was recalled to Algiers on March 19 for consultations, the day after the publication of Pedro Sanchez’s letter to King Mohammed VI in which the Spanish president expressed his support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara, considered the most "serious, realistic and credible" basis for resolving this conflict.

The Algerian diplomat was only ambassador to Spain for two months. Previously, he was consul general in Paris, a position he held between 2019 and November 2021. He replaces Mohamed Antar Daoud, now the former ambassador of Algeria to France. With this appointment, Algeria is strengthening its relations with France, after a crisis that had led to Daoud’s recall in October 2021. He only joined his post in January.