Algeria has officially cut diplomatic ties with the UAE after years of mounting political tensions. As part of the diplomatic breach, Algerian authorities have banned all UAE-registered civilian and military aircraft from entering the country's airspace.
The Algerian Defence Ministry said that the ban would take effect from midnight on September 11.
Commercial passenger flights to Algiers’ Houari Boumediene International Airport will continue until the end of 2026, when the UAE’s existing contract expires.
Algeria has severed diplomatic ties with the UAE, citing a buildup of ‘provocative and hostile actions’ by Abu Dhabi despite Algiers’ efforts to maintain relations.
Why did Algeria cut ties with the UAE?
The rupture between the two nations stems from several deep-seated geopolitical and foreign policy disputes.
*The Western Sahara conflict: The UAE strongly backs Algeria’s regional rival, Morocco, in its claim over Western Sahara—even opening a consulate in the disputed territory. Algeria, on the other hand, actively supports the Polisario Front, which fights for Western Saharan independence.
*Interference in the Sahel and North Africa: Algeria views UAE interventions in neighbouring regions as a direct threat to its national security. Algiers has accused Abu Dhabi of funding and supplying factions in regional conflicts, including backing Khalifa Haftar in Libya, the RSF in Sudan, and expanding its footprint in Mali and Niger near Algeria's southern border.
*Allegations of internal meddling: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune publicly accused the UAE of interfering in internal security, specifically alleging Emirati backing for the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia (MAK), an indigenous separatist group that Algiers considers a terrorist organisation.
*The normalisation of ties with Israel: Algeria remains staunchly pro-Palestinian and opposed to establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. The UAE's leadership in the 2020 Abraham Accords—and its efforts to encourage other Arab nations, including Morocco, to normalise relations—further alienated Algiers.
Tebboune has accused the UAE of seeking to destabilise countries across the region. In July, Tebboune said that “wherever they set foot, blood flows" and urged the UAE to stay away from Algeria.
Algerian state television previously accused UAE-based Sky News Arabia of launching a hostile media campaign after the network aired an interview with historian Mohamed Amine Belghit, who questioned Algeria’s indigenous Amazigh identity.
Belghit was later jailed in Algeria and subsequently pardoned by Tebboune.
Algiers has given the UAE ambassador 48 hours to leave following the abrupt breakdown in relations.
Meanwhile, the UAE Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the diplomatic rupture would be temporary, saying it wanted to preserve "fraternal ties" with Algeria.
