Algeria Seeks New Alliances Amid Tensions

Algeria has opened its mineral resources to U.S. investment, a move that has sparked diverse analyses, primarily concerning the ongoing crisis with France and Washington’s stance on the Western Sahara issue.

Sabri Boukadoum, Algeria’s ambassador to the United States, stated that the country is "ready to engage" with the U.S. about its abundant natural resources and vital minerals that are in high global demand.

In an interview with the U.S. website Defense Scoop on March 7, 2025, Boukadoum highlighted that Algeria is ready to host data centers at a lower cost than current alternatives.

"Let me say very clearly, as a foreign diplomat, do not forget that we do not have preferences. So we work with [every] administration. Of course, we try to sell our potential to the new one."

"With President Trump, he’s said that he’s for deals. So, we’ll try to [help the administration] see the advantages in going with Algeria," Boukadoum added.

On another note, intelligence sharing on maritime security and new foreign military sales are among the top areas of interest for both sides to collaborate. Boukadoum also pointed to other fields, including search and rescue operations and counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel and surrounding regions.

Military leaders from both countries signed a memorandum of understanding on January 22, 2025, following years of negotiations, marking an official commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation between their forces.

Although the new memorandum was largely finalized under the Biden administration, Algeria's ambassador expressed confidence that U.S.-Algeria relations would remain strong during President Donald Trump’s second term.

Boukadoum did not immediately disclose the latest developments regarding potential foreign military sales. However, he confirmed that representatives from both the United States and Algeria are forming three new working groups to devise an implementation plan for the memorandum of understanding and determine their next steps.

In response to a question about Algeria's priorities in expanding military cooperation, the ambassador stated, "The sky is the limit."

In addition, Algeria’s Ministry of Energy signed an agreement on January 22, 2025, with the U.S. energy giant Chevron to assess the potential of Algeria’s offshore oil and gas resources, paving the way for future exploration and development projects aimed at enhancing Algeria’s hydrocarbon assets.

The recognition by Washington of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in December 2020 marked a historic turning point in the issue, receiving widespread international support, particularly after key European countries such as France and Spain adopted the same stance.

The issue of Western Sahara remains a source of ongoing tension in Moroccan-Algerian relations, casting a shadow over regional stability in the Maghreb, despite repeated calls for overcoming differences and turning a new page in regional cooperation.

Morocco proposes an expanded autonomy plan to resolve the long-standing dispute over the region, which has persisted since 1975, while the Polisario Front, advocating for self-determination, is supported by Algeria, which hosts refugee camps for Sahrawis in Tindouf and provides diplomatic, financial, and military backing to the group.

Algeria's Concessions

The Sahrawi website Sahara WikiLeaks has stated that "Algeria is making numerous concessions and sacrificing the nation's wealth in an attempt to appease the greedy businessman," referring to former U.S. President Donald Trump.

"The tragedy is that the U.S. continues to ignore Algeria's offer, which appears to be a sacrifice made for our benefit as the Sahrawi people, and we are expected to be grateful, revere, and appreciate it," Sahara WikiLeaks added.

"But at its core, it is merely an offer to salvage the dignity of the current Algerian regime, which has lost everything, and views its relationship with the U.S. as the winning card that will fix everything."

Meanwhile, media expert and political analyst specializing in Algerian affairs, Ahmed Dafri, noted that Boukadoum wants to convey to the Trump administration that "Algeria is ready to offer the United States the rare minerals that lie beneath its land."

Dafri told Le12 in a March 9, 2025 interview, "This is evident from Boughadoume’s statement that Algeria 'is ready to talk' with the United States about its abundant and valuable natural mineral resources, which are in high demand globally."

"Algeria is humiliating itself, offering its mineral wealth to America in an attempt to entice it, hoping to persuade it to retract its recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Southern Sahara regions of Sakia El-Hamra and Oued Ed-Dahab," he added.

"The Algerian regime, in pursuit of its dream, is willing to become an American colony. It is a regime without principles, influence, or dignity," Dafri concluded.

Strategic Partnership

Contrasting with this interpretation, Algerian political analyst Hakim Bougarara believes that with the start of Trump's second term, the United States appears eager to forge a long-term strategic partnership with Algeria, given its regional stature, role, and neutrality in handling international crises.

Bougarara told Al Jazeera Net that the Algerian-American relationship has historically been one of significant respect and appreciation.

He noted that politics and interests are fluid and relative, which explains how the Algerian-American relationship, once modest during Trump’s first term, has evolved significantly today.

"The United States is reassessing its policies, correcting its course, and seeking to build new partnerships in response to shifting global dynamics, and this is exactly what has occurred with Algeria."

"The U.S. administration is currently looking for countries that are economically strong and regionally influential, which applies to Algeria, particularly in areas like counterterrorism, the Palestinian issue, and energy security," Bougrara stated.

He also dismissed the possibility of any negative reactions from Algeria's traditional partners, such as China or Russia, regarding this Algerian-American rapprochement. 

According to Bougrara, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's policy is focused on diversifying partnerships, emphasizing that Algeria is a sovereign state that rejects interference in its internal affairs.

Resource Sale

Sheikh Ali Belhadj, a leader of the Algerian Islamic Salvation Front, launched a fierce attack on statements made by Algerian Ambassador Sabri Boukadoum in Washington, in which he discussed Algeria's willingness to negotiate with the United States over-investment in the country's mineral sector.

In a press statement, Belhadj described the move as "selling Algeria's resources in a slave market," questioning: "How dare an ambassador offer the nation's wealth as if it were his personal property? And why is everyone remaining silent: the presidency, the foreign ministry, the political class, and parliament?"

“This silence is suspicious and must be condemned! Instead of boycotting America for its crimes in Gaza, Algeria extends a hand to it, offering our precious resources! Isn't this a stark contradiction to the slogans the regime has been championing?” Belhadj noted.

Sheikh Ali Belhadj reminded that until recently, Algeria "was embracing Putin," offering him everything, and now "all that remains are the minerals buried beneath Algeria's soil."

"These are the nation's resources, the legacy of future generations, and yet these people only care about themselves!" He added angrily.

Belhadj launched a scathing attack on Boukadoum, branding him as part of the "dominant clique," saying, “Boukadoum was foreign minister under Bouteflika, and then they made him ambassador to the most important embassy! How can such a person be left to decide the fate of the country's strategic minerals?"

Belhadj warned of the dangers of the "rare raw materials war," suggesting that what is happening may be part of "secret deals" between Algeria and AFRICOM, citing the military agreement signed by Army Chief of Staff Saïd Chengriha with the American side.

"The people are banned from protesting and demonstrating, their voices are silenced, and while people are occupied with worship and fasting during this holy month, Algeria's wealth is being sold in secret with no accountability!"

"The immediate recall of the ambassador" and the opening of a transparent investigation into the matter, asserting that "this regime is willing to sell Algeria's resources just to stay in power, while the Algerian people suffer and our people in Gaza are dying from hunger!" Belhadj concluded.

Shifting Alliances

Algerian security expert and former regime insider Karim Moulay believes that the strengthening of ties between Algeria and the United States is largely a response to the ongoing tensions in relations between Algeria and France, as well as an Algerian attempt to apply pressure on Paris.

Moulay told Arabi21 on March 15, 2025, that shifts in Algeria's foreign policy reflect a desire to move away from traditional French dominance and focus on building new alliances, including with the United States.

He continued, adding that this shift also reflects an attempt to demonstrate that Algeria is under significant pressure from colonial powers with a negative history in the eyes of the Algerian public, thereby easing the internal political and economic pressures the Algerian authorities are facing.

"Algeria and France are historical neighbors, but the relationship between the two countries has always been tense due to France's colonial past in Algeria, where the country was under French rule for 132 years (1830-1962), leaving deep scars in their bilateral relations."

"Despite the independence Algeria achieved in 1962, issues such as historical memory, colonial legacies, and the recognition of crimes committed during the colonial era continue to fuel tensions between the two sides," he continued.

"In recent years, relations between Algeria and France have increasingly deteriorated due to political, economic, and security issues, most notably Paris's stance on the fate of Western Sahara and its relations with Morocco. This has led Algeria to seek new strategic alliances with global powers such as the United States and Russia," Moulay said.

"Through the military memorandum of understanding signed between Algeria and the United States in January 2025, it is clear that Algeria is seeking to broaden its security and military cooperation with Washington. There is now a push to open Algeria's mineral resources to American investment, an area that current U.S. President Donald Trump is particularly focused on."

"Despite tensions with France, Algeria has no intention of severing ties completely. Economic and trade relations between the two countries remain significant."

"Algeria will not escalate its stance against France too far, but instead seeks to strike a balance between cooperation with Western powers such as the United States and maintaining its economic ties with France," he added.

Algerian Realignment

Researcher Mohamad Kawas stated that Algeria's offer comes amid mounting pressure from Washington on Kyiv regarding the rare minerals agreement, adding to a series of recent developments suggesting a new Algerian orientation towards Washington, amid tensions with Moscow and a shift away from Paris.

In an analysis published by the Progress Center for Studies, based in London, on March 15, 2025, Kawas speculated that "Algeria's motivations might be driven by calculations related to its ongoing dispute with Morocco over the Western Sahara."

"Trump had previously recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara, promising to open a U.S. consulate in the interior of the desert and to list the Polisario Front, which is supported by Algeria, as a terrorist organization. As a result, Algeria is attempting to temper Washington's growing alignment with Morocco on the Sahara issue."

"Algeria holds 20% of the world's rare earth reserves, with official Algerian reports estimating that 31 out of 1,400 mineral resources are currently being exploited domestically."

"Observers of U.S. affairs believe that, despite Trump's stance on the Sahara, which was tied to Morocco's normalization with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, Washington still has an interest in strengthening economic cooperation with Algeria, complementing the progress made in bilateral relations in recent years."

"Certain issues, such as Algeria's relationship with Iran and its stance on other matters like Sudan, could hinder the smooth development of ties between Algeria and the U.S," Kawas noted.

"The shift in Algeria's strategic stance on the issue of normalization with Israel represents a tactical retreat aimed at removing any ideological barriers hindering the advancement of relations with Washington."

"Algeria is working to develop its ties with the United States, including in the military sector, as part of its effort to distance itself from its ally Russia due to the tensions between Moscow and Algeria stemming from conflicting interests in the Sahel region."

Kawas concluded that while it is unlikely that Algeria will dramatically abandon its traditional alignment within the Eastern bloc, it will use its relationship with Washington to strengthen its leverage with Russia.