Having recently repaired its frayed relationship with Morocco, Spain is now paying a high price by getting mired in a dispute with another North African neighbour Algeria. This week Algeria suspended a 20-year-old friendship treaty with Spain, citing the “violation of its legal, moral and political obligations” with regard to the territory of Western Sahara. The North African country has also declared a freeze on bilateral trade, potentially affecting around €2 billion in Spanish exports per year. This has been triggered by a shift in Madrid’s stance on the long-standing sovereignty issue surrounding Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony about three times the size of Ireland. One of the main concerns is immigration, with Spain relying on its North African neighbours to control the flow of migrants crossing from both Morocco and Algeria in recent years.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 10, 2022 17:02 UTC