African Union embarrasses Algerian Foreign Ministry over Sahara file

Statements issued by the Algerian Foreign Ministry regarding the meeting between Minister Ahmed Attaf and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, have sparked widespread controversy, after the Commission’s statement revealed a fundamental discrepancy in the content of the talks held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The Algerian Foreign Ministry had claimed in its statement that the meeting covered several regional issues, including the Moroccan Sahara file. However, the official account released by the African Union Commission was limited to an exchange of views on peace and security in the Sahel region, praising Algeria’s role in strengthening continental security without any mention of the Sahara issue.

This discrepancy comes at a time when Algerian diplomacy is seeking to intensify its international efforts to keep the Sahara file on the UN agenda, especially with the approach of the UN Security Council discussions expected next October, which places the Algerian narrative in direct contradiction with the continental institution.

This incident reflects Algeria’s ongoing tendency to attempt to utilize bilateral meetings with international officials to serve its political agenda, while regional and international institutions adhere to their official statements, which focus on security issues and joint cooperation, far from the narratives that Algeria attempts to impose in irrelevant contexts.