Algeria recalled its ambassador to Spain in March after the government in Madrid came out in support of Morocco’s pretensions to keep Western Sahara under its rule. Spain was the former colonial power in Western Sahara until it was annexed by Morocco in 1975. Since then, neighbors Algeria and Morocco have been at odds over the fate of the Western Sahara, at one point fighting a desert war. Going as far as actually breaking its contracts to supply with Spain gas would likely be too risky for Algeria, she said. Spain, Morocco, and Algeria have been caught in a three-way diplomatic tug-of-war over Western Sahara for the past year.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 10, 2022 23:25 UTC