Algeria has announced it is severing diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, citing what it described as a series of "provocative or hostile" actions by Abu Dhabi despite "repeated warnings."
Algeria's foreign ministry said on Thursday that the UAE's conduct had reached a point where it could no longer be considered acceptable and that Algiers had "exhausted all means of preserving bilateral relations."
The Emirati ambassador was summoned to the ministry, informed of the decision, and given 48 hours to comply. There was no immediate comment from the UAE.
Relations between the two countries have been under growing strain for years, with Algiers and Abu Dhabi taking opposing positions on several regional issues.
Algeria opposes normalisation with Israel, while the UAE established diplomatic ties with Israel under the United States-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, alongside Algeria's regional rival Morocco.
The two countries also stand on opposite sides of the decades-old Western Sahara dispute. The UAE supports Morocco's claim to sovereignty over the territory, where it maintains a consulate, while Algeria backs the Polisario Front, which seeks an independent Western Sahara.
Their interests have increasingly clashed in the Sahel region, where the UAE has expanded ties with several governments in recent years. Algeria's relations with some of its southern neighbours have simultaneously grown strained following a series of military coups in the region.
Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune has previously accused the Gulf state of attempting to interfere in Algeria's internal affairs and has repeatedly referred to the UAE in public speeches as a "micro-state" or "statelet" seeking to destabilise countries across the region.
In a televised interview in July, Tebboune said: "Wherever they set foot, blood flows," adding that the UAE has had a "very negative impact." He also stated: "We want them to stay away, so that blood does not flow in our country."
At the time, Tebboune said a diplomatic break "would have happened long ago" had Algeria not sought to avoid "deepening divisions" in the Arab world.
