• Algeria has cut diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates due to "increasingly provocative or hostile acts" by the UAE, according to the Algerian Foreign Ministry.
• The decision to sever ties came after all attempts to preserve the relationship had been exhausted, with the UAE ambassador given 48 hours to comply with the decision.
• Tensions between the two countries have been escalating, with Algeria unhappy about the UAE's normalization of relations with Israel in 2020 and suspicious of UAE activities in neighbouring countries.

Algeria on Thursday announced it was severing diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following months of tension between the two Arab countries.

The North African nation has accused the wealthy Gulf UAE of making "increasingly provocative or hostile acts," but did not provide details.

Algeria's official news agency APS, citing the Foreign Ministry, said despite several Algerian warnings, the UAE continued its "regrettable and unjustified" acts.

The report added that Thursday's Algerian decision came after "all avenues to preserve bilateral ties [with the UAE] had been exhausted."

The UAE ambassador to Algeria was informed of the decision and has been given 48 hours to comply, APS reported.

The Emirates in response expressed the hope that the decision would be only temporary and would be implemented in a way that would preserve the "fraternal relations" between the two countries.

The UAE remains committed to the goal of maintaining and strengthening the ties and shared interests of both peoples, the Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Tensions have escalated between the two countries in recent years. Algeria has was not happy with the UAE's normalization of relations with Israel in 2020.Algeria is also suspicious of the UAE moves in its neighbouring Niger, Mali and Libya.

Algeria has moreover accused the UAE of interfering in its internal affairs.In 2024, Algeria's state Higher Security Council criticized what it described as "hostile actions" by a "sisterly Arab state" - a reference widely understood to be directed at the UAE.

In a sign of rising tensions with the UAE, Algerian authorities announced earlier this year that it was terminating an air pact signed in 2013.