A new twist has emerged in the military exercise planned by the North Africa Region Defense Committee (NARC), set to take place from May 21 to 27 in Algeria, with the participation of the Polisario Front. «The Arab Republic of Egypt has declined an invitation from Algeria to participate in a military activity alongside the terrorist Polisario Front», the Atlantic Defense Observatory revealed on X on Sunday, May 4. This information was confirmed to Yabiladi by a Moroccan security source, who cited «convergences of views» between Rabat and Cairo on several Arab and African issues. Egypt's refusal comes amid renewed tensions between Algeria and the United Arab Emirates — the main ally of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who has been in power since June 2014 — marked by a recent escalation in Algerian media rhetoric. It's worth noting that Egypt had previously participated in NARC meetings held in Algeria alongside the Polisario, both in May and November 2023. Algeria, which currently holds the rotating presidency of NARC, announced through its Prime Minister on July 21, 2024, in Accra — during the 6th coordination meeting of the AU Bureau and the heads of the eight Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms — that it was prepared to host a NARC military exercise before the end of 2024.
