Algeria’s President Tebboune Addresses Western Sahara Dispute with Morocco

"Nothing is immutable," said Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in an interview with the French newspaper L’Opinion in which he addressed several topics, including the issue of the Sahara. He stressed that the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)" is a member of the African Union (AU) and that international and European justice are progressively recognizing the rights of the Sahrawi people. The Algerian president also confided that he had not responded favorably to a request from the Sahrawis. "The latter are demanding weapons that we are refraining from giving them for the moment," said the head of state.

The Sahara issue remains one of the points of friction between Morocco and Algeria, which unilaterally broke off diplomatic relations with its neighbor in 2021. Tebboune regrets that King Mohammed VI did not follow his father, the late Hassan II, who "wanted to settle the problem of Western Sahara". With Morocco, "it’s almost a game of chess where we are forced to respond to acts that we consider hostile," he added. The Algerian president also denounced the Moroccan "expansionist ambitions" or the military exercises they carry out with the Israeli army on our border, "which is contrary to the policy of good neighborliness".

Tebboune says he does not hold a grudge against the Moroccan people. "The Moroccan people are a brotherly people for whom we wish only the best," he concluded.