Jeune Afrique: The Conspiracy of Tebboune and Kais Saied to Host Polisario Leaders in Tunisia
ALDAR/
Amid the ongoing political and economic collapse in Algeria and Tunisia, the regimes of both countries continue to implement destructive agendas that harm national and Maghreb interests alike. The recent phone call between Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his Tunisian counterpart Kais Saied, which took place during Eid al-Fitr, revealed new attempts by the two regimes to cement policies that threaten regional stability by involving Tunisia in the burning Polisario file.
According to the French newspaper Jeune Afrique, Tebboune proposed to Kais Saied the idea of hosting some Polisario Front leaders on Tunisian soil—a move that reflects the weakness of the Tunisian political leadership, which lacks independent national decision-making and is deeply submerged in dependence on Algeria’s suspicious policies.
This proposal is only additional evidence of Algeria’s ongoing exploitation of the Sahara issue to fuel regional conflicts and push its neighbors into political and security dilemmas.
As for Tunisia, suffering from accumulating crises and internal fears, it seems to be sacrificing its sovereign interests to appease its Algerian neighbor, rather than focusing on restoring its stability and building its fragile institutions. The Tunisian opposition, which leaked details of this dialogue, expressed concern about the repercussions of hosting figures linked to the Polisario, which could drag the country into a quagmire of pointless conflicts.
Moreover, the conversation also touched upon relations with Iran, raising questions about the extent of growing Iranian influence in the region on the decisions of the two regimes, especially amid unclear and suspicious approaches regarding national security files.
These steps reveal the failure of both regimes to prioritize the interests of their peoples over narrow agendas, and their conspiracy to reproduce intractable regional crises instead of seeking peaceful solutions that achieve stability and real cooperation among Maghreb countries.
At a time when the people of Algeria and Tunisia suffer from severe economic and social deterioration, the two regimes continue to focus on dubious regional agendas that are completely disconnected from their peoples’ aspirations and keep the region in a state of tension and uncertainty.
