Algerian diplomacy under strain as it seeks symbolic alliances on Sahara

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa arrived in Algeria on Saturday, where he and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune reaffirmed their joint support for the separatist Polisario Front in the Sahara. 

The visit signals Algeria’s renewed efforts to revive ideological alliances that are increasingly losing traction across Africa, as support for Morocco’s sovereignty gains ground.

The Algerian regime appears intent on countering the expanding African consensus backing Morocco’s territorial integrity by leaning on traditional allies such as Zimbabwe. 

Analysts view the move as a sign of diplomatic disarray, as Algiers turns to symbolic gestures and nations with limited continental influence or economic leverage to uphold its Western Sahara narrative.

“The Algerian regime has exhausted its political and diplomatic cards in managing the Sahara dispute,” said Algerian opposition activist Chawki Benzehra, describing Mnangagwa’s visit as largely devoid of substance. 

He said that Algerian media heavily emphasized alignment on the Polisario issue, underscoring the regime’s struggle to find relevant interlocutors in Africa.

Benzrah also criticized the Algerian leadership for clinging to outdated alliances and ignoring the growing list of African states that have withdrawn recognition of the self-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. 

He accused the government of fabricating political optics to distract domestic audiences from foreign policy setbacks.

Lahcen Aqartit, professor and international relations scholar, echoed this analysis, arguing that Algeria is clinging to the few remaining states still aligned with its separatist stance. 

“The Algerian military regime is undergoing a strategic failure, especially after the collapse of key strongholds for the separatist agenda in Africa and Latin America,” he said.

Aqartit noted that since independence, Algeria has invested heavily in supporting the Polisario, using the dispute to frame Morocco as an external adversary and consolidate internal control. 

Morocco’s diplomatic advances on the Sahara file, bolstered by international and continental partnerships, are isolating Algeria further, he said.