Why is the Algerian regime focusing on ‘basket’ diplomacy in the Sahel?

An overt maneuver to compensate for diplomatic setbacks

In what appears to be a desperate move to repair its tarnished international image, the Algerian regime recently launched what it calls “humanitarian diplomacy” toward the countries of the Sahel region. This move, wrapped in slogans of solidarity and neighborliness, is in reality nothing but an overt political maneuver aimed at covering up a series of foreign policy failures and a pathetic attempt to compensate for its declining regional influence in the face of Morocco’s balanced and influential presence on the African continent.

The Algerian regime and the export of crises

The Algerian regime’s persistence in using the humanitarian aid card in the Sahel is merely an attempt to export the internal crises that are plaguing Algeria, and a vain attempt to woo countries in the region through classic methods that no longer deceive international actors. Instead of focusing on addressing the problems of its own oppressed people and managing its economic crises, the regime insists on wasting the nation’s resources on losing diplomatic conflicts that will only further convince Sahelian countries that Algeria is a party whose agenda cannot be trusted.

Failed attempts to disrupt the Moroccan presence

Observers see this frantic activity by the Algerian regime as a hysterical reaction to the strategic initiatives led by Morocco, most notably the Atlantic Initiative for Sahel States, which has offered the region real prospects for development and economic integration, far from the logic of political “buying” practiced by the eastern neighbor. The Algerian regime’s attempts to hinder this development path will only be met with further isolation, as the peoples and states of the Sahel are well aware of the difference between Morocco’s action-oriented diplomacy and the false promises of the Algerian regime.

Conclusion: Basket diplomacy will not build influence

Ultimately, the Algerian regime will remain a prisoner of its outdated mentality, which believes that “humanitarian diplomacy” using baskets and ad-hoc aid is capable of building strategic alliances. The truth that the regime overlooks is that Sahelian countries today are looking for strong and sustainable strategic partnerships, something that the Algerian regime lacks, having provided the region with nothing but suspicion and instability.