(Bloomberg) -- Algeria accused France of endangering the broader region with its historic decision to recognize its rival Morocco’s rule over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
The OPEC member’s withdrawal of its ambassador from Paris is a first move in response to Tuesday’s announcement, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf told reporters in Algiers.
“We will take the necessary steps to express our rejection of France taking such a step, which is dangerous for the region,” he said on Wednesday, without elaborating.
Western Sahara, a mineral-rich stretch of Atlantic coastline and desert that’s bigger than the UK, has been a potential flashpoint during years of testy relations between Morocco, which claims sovereignty over the area, and Algeria, a supporter of the Polisario Front pro-independence movement.
Fighting between Moroccan forces and Polisario after colonial ruler Spain withdrew in 1975 claimed about 9,000 lives over 16 years. A three-decade cease-fire collapsed in late 2020, with sporadic violence stoking fears of a larger war.
Energy-rich Algeria has seen its international profile grow after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made it a valuable alternative source of natural gas supplies for Europe. Italy, Spain and Germany have signed deals to boost purchases.
French oil major TotalEnergies SE owns stakes in some Algerian gas fields, from which supplies go to France as liquefied natural gas, according to the company’s website. The African country was the biggest LNG supplier to France after Russia this month, according to ship-tracking data on Bloomberg. TotalEnergies is also a partner in oil projects in the country.
France’s view that the area should be under Moroccan sovereignty to resolve the dispute, as expressed in a letter from President Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI seen by Bloomberg, would mark an end to long-standing French neutrality on the issue.
Macron is now weighing a visit to Morocco in the coming months, according to a person familiar with the decision. In his letter to the king, he described the “continued economic and social development” of Western Sahara as “imperative,” saying France “will support it in this endeavor for the benefit of the local population.”
The French government hasn’t officially commented on the decision, which was announced by Moroccan state media. Attaf said Macron informed Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune the step was coming when they met on the sidelines of June’s G7 meeting in Italy.
Attaf on Wednesday described the French decision as “a gift from someone who does not own it to someone who does not deserve it.”
--With assistance from Salma El Wardany.
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