Facing a wave of social and political protests, Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed's regime is being propped up by Algeria, which sees its main ally in the North Africa-Sahel region at risk. Its key asset: the Polisario. The Polisario Front was recently the subject of a phone conversation between Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his Tunisian counterpart Kaïs Saïed, held during Eid al-Adha. In this exchange, Tebboune reportedly asked Saïed «to host certain personalities from the Polisario Front currently living in the Tindouf camps», according to the weekly Jeune Afrique. Several leaks further suggest the presence of Polisario officials in Tunisia. Since Saïed's ascent to power on July 25, 2021, Tunisia has notably abandoned its long-standing neutral stance on the Western Sahara issue, a position maintained since the era of Habib Bourguiba. This policy shift was underscored by Saïed's reception of Brahim Ghali, the Polisario leader, at Tunis airport during a Japan-Africa summit in August 2022, as well as Tunisia's abstention during a UN Security Council resolution vote on the Sahara in October 2022. In apparent reciprocity, Algeria has provided significant financial support to Tunisia through loans and donations, particularly in December 2022 and March 2023. The Algerian company Sonelgaz also contributes to supporting its Tunisian ally by supplying electricity and gas. Ensuring the Longevity of the Saïed Regime A Moroccan source, speaking to Yabiladi, confirmed Jeune Afrique's information regarding Tebboune's request, stating that «for the past two or three months, dozens of Polisario members have entered Tunisia with Algerian passports». Our source elaborated, «Their mission is to protect the Tunisian regime against a potential revolution or coup, especially as protests against Saïed's decisions are gaining momentum, threatening the regime's stability. Algeria does not want to lose another ally in the region, especially after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria and the retreat of the national unity government forces in Libya in the face of Khalifa Haftar's advance». The source emphasized the strategic importance for Algeria: «Saïed's regime is Algeria's last declared ally in North Africa and the Sahel. Mauritania, for its part, has distanced itself from Algerian projects and has decided to put an end to the Polisario's border violations. In this context, the survival of the Tunisian regime is crucial for Algeria, as protests against Saïed multiply». It is worth noting that the majority of senior Polisario officials hold Spanish or Mauritanian nationality. As a historical reminder, Polisario elements, with Algeria's support, have previously fought alongside the armies of Muammar Gaddafi and Bashar Al-Assad. However, these reinforcements did not prevent the eventual fall of those regimes.
