Algeria’s relations with Morocco have reached “the point of no return”, according to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the latest evidence of the continued poor relationship between the two countries, which broke off relations in 2021.
Speaking to Al Jazeera in an interview on Tuesday, Tebboune said that while he regretted the deteriorating relations between Algeria and its neighbour, he blamed Morocco for the current state of affairs.
“We have practically reached the point of no return,” said Tebboune, who became president in 2019 after the resignation of longtime leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika. “Our position is a response [to Morocco’s actions], we were never the ones who started [the problem].”
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The North African countries have been locked in a bitter rivalry for decades over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Algiers backs the armed Polisario movement that seeks independence for Western Sahara, a territory Rabat claims as its own.
The Polisario separatists took up arms in the 1970s and have continued to demand an independence referendum on the basis of a 1991 deal that included a ceasefire.
Algerian foreign minister Ramtane Lamamra announced the severing of diplomatic relations in August 2021, following growing tensions over the dispute.