Algeria President: ‘We Are Wasting Time with President Macron’

Rabat – Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has again commented on the ongoing political crisis with France, taking issue with President Emmanuel Macron’s recent remarks on relations between Paris and Algiers.

Ties between the two countries have been under crisis for decades, with Algerian officials frequently asking for an apology regarding France’s colonization.

But the political row between the two countries has reached a worsened level recently, particularly due to France’s newfound support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.

Commenting on this diplomatic turbulence, Tebboune told French news outlet L’Opinion in a new interview published over the weekend that the “climate” between the two countries is “toxic.”

“We are wasting time with President Macron,” Tebboune said, alleging that his country has the desire to avoid a “split that would become irreparable.”

The Algerian president acknowledged that ties between the two countries are frozen, adding that “nothing is moving forward except commercial relations. Political dialogue is nearly interrupted.”

He also accused French authorities and political leaders of making “hostile statements” against his country “every day.”

The Algerian president also signaled that part of the tensions, if not all, is due to France’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara.

For Tebboune, France’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan is a “serious mistake.”

“We spoke with President Macron for more than 2.5 hours on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Baru on June 13…He then informed us that he was going to make a gesture to recognize the Moroccanity of Western Sahara, which we already knew. I then warned him,” Tebboune told L’Opinion.

He then claimed that he warned Macron saying: “You are making a serious mistake! You will gain nothing, and you will lose us.”

Hostility towards Morocco

During the interview, Tebboune again expressed rhetoric showing his deep-seated hostility towards Morocco and obsession with the country’s internal affairs by renewing his support for the separatist Polisario Front – which continues to challenge Morocco’s territorial integrity and stability.

Due to his regime’s support for the Polisario Front, Tebboune has aided in sending direct threats against Morocco’s security, as the group frequently threatens to attack the North African country.

On the topic, Tebboune acknowledged to L’Opinion that the separatist group demands arms from Algeria that he claims the regime is “currently withholding from them.”

The Polisario Front has attacked Morocco’s Es-Semara region as well as the Mahbes region.

The recent attack took place in November last year, when the separatist group disrupted a civilian ceremony commemorating the 49th anniversary of the Green March.

Four explosions also hit several residential areas in the city of Es-Semara in southern Morocco in October of 2023.

For decades, Algeria has been hosting the Polisario Front in Tindouf camps, providing them with financial support as well as military training.

In February 2022, Algerian news outlet Algerie Part Plus quoted an Algerian military source who said that the Polisario costs the Algerian regime $1 billion annually, indicating that half of the budget goes to the defense sector of the separatist group.

“The documents consulted by the editorial staff indicate that the budget of the ‘Ministry of Defense of SADR amounts to nearly 497 million dollars, mainly financed by Algeria,” the source said.

In 2021, the Polisario expenses amounted to over $1.3 billion. The Algerian army also provided fuel, equipment, armament, and training to over 10,000 separatists.