Algeria's diplomatic crisis: state television unleashes vitriol against the uae

Monday 05 May 2025 - 08:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Algeria's diplomatic crisis: state television unleashes vitriol against the uae

Algeria's state television erupted in a venomous tirade against the United Arab Emirates on Friday, showcasing an extraordinary display of hostility from President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's regime. In a five-minute broadcast, the Algerian state broadcaster branded the UAE as an “artificial statelet” and repeatedly referred to its leaders as “dwarves,” marking yet another episode in Algeria’s pattern of aggressive rhetoric aimed at neighboring countries.

The trigger for this fierce assault was an interview aired on Sky News Arabia, featuring Algerian historian Mohamed Amine Belghith. He claimed that Amazigh identity was merely a “Zionist-French ideological fabrication” and asserted that Berbers were, in fact, “ancient Arabs of Phoenician origin.” The interview, conducted by an Algerian journalist with an Algerian academic, inexplicably became grounds for attacking the UAE, simply due to the channel's Emirati funding.

Algeria's state broadcaster condemned the interview as a “dangerous media escalation” by the UAE, asserting that it crossed all red lines concerning the unity and identity of the Algerian people. This statement, reportedly crafted by the presidency’s communications directorate under the influence of advisor Kamal Sidi Said, accused the UAE of lacking “roots and genuine sovereignty.”

The regime's mouthpiece warned that “media incitement affecting Algerian identity will not pass without moral and popular accountability,” threatening to “return the insult a hundredfold.” This rhetoric, more akin to street brawls than diplomatic discourse, reflects a deepening crisis in Algeria’s foreign relations.

In recent months, Algeria has severed ties with Morocco, expelled Spain’s ambassador over the Sahara dispute, and seen relations with France plummet to unprecedented lows. The attack on the UAE follows a period of deteriorating relations, including a condemnation by Algeria’s High Security Council of “hostile acts by a brotherly Arab state,” a veiled reference to the Emirates.

President Tebboune has accused the UAE of “igniting fires of sedition” in conflict zones like Mali, Libya, and Sudan, claiming that the state’s financial influence is felt wherever instability arises. The fervor of the broadcaster’s presenter during the tirade was so intense that observers likened it to “screaming in a public bath or a drunkards’ gathering,” according to reports from Moroccan media.

The statement described the UAE as an “artificial statelet” nine times and referred to its leaders as “dwarves” on two occasions. The Algerian regime appears to be exploiting public anger over Belghith’s remarks to position itself as the defender of national unity, despite its previous actions that included banning Amazigh flags during the Hirak protests and imprisoning activists who displayed them.

Many Amazigh activists criticized the government’s maneuver as an attempt to divert attention from internal tensions by scapegoating external enemies. One Kabyle activist noted, “It’s not Sky News Arabia denying our history; it’s the Algerian state giving voice to those who falsify our origins.”

This unhinged attack raises serious concerns about President Tebboune's mental state. His recent declarations, from branding Algeria the “world’s third superpower” to claiming the country desalinates 1.3 billion cubic meters of seawater daily, alongside this diplomatic meltdown, paint a picture of increasing erratic behavior.

As a Moroccan commentator observed, “This level of degraded insults is unworthy of a state and can only come from the Algerian president, known for his hysterical reactions and violent outbursts.” Each escalating crisis raises alarms that Tebboune’s instability could spark broader regional tensions.

The incident highlights a regime that seems desperate to seek external enemies to obscure its internal failures, willing to sacrifice diplomatic relations and abandon basic decorum for the sake of imaginary victories. For Algeria’s neighbors, Tebboune’s government poses not only a diplomatic challenge but also a genuine threat to regional stability.