Algeria: Growing Isolation Amid Tensions with the UAE and the Morocco-Mauritania Rapprochement
In a regional climate marked by rising tensions and increasingly visible diplomatic isolation, Algeria is attempting to revive its relations with Mauritania. This week, an official meeting between Mauritanian Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug and the new Algerian ambassador to Nouakchott marked a first step toward normalization after a period of noticeable bilateral coldness.
The meeting follows the abrupt departure of the previous Algerian ambassador, Mohamed Benattou, which occurred as ties between Nouakchott and Rabat strengthened. Indeed, the recent visit of Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani to King Mohammed VI in Casablanca was seen as a powerful symbol of rapprochement between the two Maghreb nations—an event that deeply unsettled Algiers.
Algeria now appears to be seeking a renewed foothold in the Maghreb through diplomatic gestures toward its neighbors, at a time when it is also entangled in tensions with the United Arab Emirates, another key regional player. According to observers, the meeting in Nouakchott is no trivial matter and fits into Algeria’s broader attempt to break its isolation and counter the emergence of a Morocco-Mauritania axis that may further marginalize its regional role.
Cheikh Ahmed Amin, director of the Mauritanian news site Anbaa Info, believes this diplomatic reengagement highlights underlying tensions. He notes that Benattou’s departure—without an official farewell or joint statement—exposed deep bilateral discomfort. The move was widely interpreted as a direct reaction to the tightening ties between Nouakchott and Rabat, seen by Algiers with growing suspicion.
Other analysts, such as political scientist Mina Laghzal, interpret Algeria’s diplomatic outreach as opportunistic rather than a genuine commitment to long-term Maghreb cooperation. She argues that Algeria is using its ties with Mauritania, Tunisia, and Libya to try to curb Morocco’s rising influence, offering short-term economic proposals in sectors like energy, infrastructure, and security.
Laghzal concludes that Algeria’s attempts to forge regional alliances while excluding Rabat are doomed to fail. Maghreb partners increasingly recognize that Algerian diplomacy is rooted in a confrontational stance toward Morocco, to the detriment of any balanced and inclusive regional cooperation framework.