The head of the Polisario, Brahim Ghali, lashed out at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) yesterday in the Tindouf camps, Algeria. Responding to a question from Algerian media, Ghali called the UAE «a small state, geographically distant from the region, but which opposes the development of the Sahrawi people». He warned the UAE against its «opposition» by stating: «They should not act in this way against the Sahrawi people, as they risk one day suffering the same fate, or worse, because of their normalization of relations with Israel». Ghali also denounced the UAE's «longstanding support for Morocco's Royal Armed Forces (FAR) since the 1970s.» This criticism is the latest in a series of tensions between Algeria and the UAE. On March 30, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune criticized the UAE (without naming it) in a local media interview. Tebboune stated: «Wherever there are conflicts, this state's money is present... Their actions are not logical. Algeria never bends. It wants peaceful cohabitation with all nations, but for those who provoke it, patience has its limits». Earlier in January, Tebboune expressed «regret at the hostile actions against Algeria by a brotherly Arab country» during a meeting of Algeria's High Security Council, again without naming the specific nation.
