First Independent Mena Newspaper
Algeria’s latest diplomatic retreat in its standoff with France appears to confirm a pattern identified according to which Algiers confrontational strategy- aimed at forcing Western powers to support separatism in the Sahara territory- repeatedly ends in concessions without gains. Algeria had escalated tensions with Paris after France officially recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara territory. […]
The Polisario Front and its supporters have suffered a new diplomatic setback after the exclusion of the Algeria-backed separatists by South Korea from the Korea-Africa ministerial meeting held in Seoul. The Korean decision is seen by several observers as a slap on the face of those pushing for the presence of Polisario in international economic […]
Congressman Marc Veasey (D-Texas) has joined the U.S. lawmakers pushing for labelling the Algeria-backed Polisario armed militias as Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) for their ties with the Iranian regime and its proxies seeking to destabilize North Africa. The “Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act” was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Republican Joe Wilson […]
Algeria’s top officials are showing signs of a marked change in tone on the Sahara issue, as growing support for Morocco’s autonomy plan and international pressure- particularly from the United States- forces Algiers to recalibrate a decades long narrative built on failed bid to contain Rabat. Speaking on May 24, Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf declared […]
The Trump Administration has sent the Algerian regime and its Polisario armed militias a strong message, saying that Washington “remains committed to peace through Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal” and that “peace requires partners willing to negotiate towards a brighter future”. The firm and clear American position has been voiced by U.S. ambassador to Morocco Duke Buchan […]
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin arrived in Algiers on Monday, becoming the third French minister to visit the country in three months, in the clearest sign yet of a thaw in relations after a prolonged diplomatic crisis triggered by Algeria after Paris expressed its outright support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara territory and for […]
Head of the Algerian army, General Saïd Chengriha, spoke before a hall of uniformed officers last week, praising what he described as Algeria’s steady economic progress and national resilience. His speech came right after new EU statistics showed Algerians had become the largest group of irregular migrants in the bloc, with Spanish authorities also reporting […]
Morocco’s steady diplomatic gains on the Sahara issue and its growing network of global partnerships are highlighted in a recent report by the Washington-based Stimson Center, which portrays the Kingdom as an increasingly influential actor in regional and international affairs. Sahara issue According to the report, the Sahara issue- which Stimson center referred to as […]
Independent United Nations human rights experts have raised concerns over what they describe as a “deliberate and systematic” crackdown by Algerian authorities targeting relatives of victims of enforced disappearances and rights activists. In a statement, the experts- mandated by the UN Human Rights Council- said Algerian authorities had engaged in practices including secret detentions, arrests […]
Amnesty International has called on Algerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained journalists targeted for exercising their right to freedom of expression, including Abdelwakil Blamm, Hassan Bouras and Christophe Gleizes. The call came ahead of the 14 May trial of Abdelwakil Blamm on bogus terrorism charges. The Rights Watchdog has also denounced […]