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Marrakech – In a display of arrogance and self-deception, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune spewed a torrent of lies and distortions during his televised interview on Friday.
The physically slouched dictator, legs splayed apart in what commentators described as a seemingly undignified posture befitting a street thug rather than a head of state, desperately clung to Algeria’s increasingly isolated position on Western Sahara while attacking countries supporting Morocco’s territorial integrity.
“I’m not going to abandon the Sahrawis to please certain parties and become an imperialist. With the exception of our position, all others are imperialist,” declared Tebboune, labeling major world powers as “imperialist” for recognizing reality.
In the same breath, he peddled blatant falsehoods about international recognition, fraudulently claiming: “Today, the Western Sahara is recognized by half of the African Union members” and “there are 55 states that recognize the Sahrawi Republic.”
In reality, less than a third of AU members and fewer than half his claimed number recognize this phantom entity.
The scripted charade, broadcast in carefully delayed format across Algeria’s state-controlled media, was meant to showcase Tebboune’s authority but instead revealed a decrepit regime crumbling under the weight of its own failures. Even the typically subservient Algerian journalists dared to challenge the president’s delusional worldview.
Tebboune faces rare pushback from Algeria’s usually compliant press
Mohamed Ousmani, director of information at Ennahar TV, punctured Tebboune’s bubble by suggesting that Algeria’s “entêtement” (stubborn refusal to change) and “manque de pragmatisme” (lack of pragmatism) directly caused the country’s humiliating diplomatic defeats against Morocco.
When Tebboune insisted Algeria would never abandon its principles regardless of global circumstances, the journalist retorted that this inflexibility was precisely what led to Algeria’s consistent diplomatic setbacks, particularly regarding the Sahara artificial dispute.
Visibly disturbed by this rare journalistic courage, Tebboune bristled with barely concealed rage and attempted to intimidate the reporter by demanding examples of such failures.
Instead of citing the obvious – recognition of Morocco’s Sahara sovereignty by the United States, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and numerous African countries – Ousmani diplomatically replied that “relations with neighbors should be based on pragmatism, which remains the cornerstone of diplomacy and international relations.”
His intimidation tactics kicked in immediately as he snarled at the journalist: “Are you suggesting we abandon our support for the Polisario and become imperialist?” Tebboune then insinuated sinister “soubassements” (underpinnings) behind the question, implying the reporter was doing someone else’s bidding – a typical authoritarian tactic to silence criticism.
Another journalist dared mention Algeria’s growing international isolation, which Tebboune dismissed as mere “manœuvres quotidiennes” (daily maneuvers) from Algeria’s enemies, refusing to confront the stark reality of his diplomatic failures.
The US sees Algeria as stubborn, stagnant, and out of touch
Tebboune’s delusions clash violently with facts on the ground. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s recent report “Strategic U.S. Engagement with Algeria” brutally dissects Algeria’s strategic predicament, pointing out the “unprecedented Western alignment behind Morocco’s plan” and “what appears to be an irreversible U.S. position of recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the territory.”
The report bluntly characterizes Algeria as having “a well-earned reputation for resistance to change” while facing “roiling domestic dissatisfaction” that could force changes in its international partnerships.
The think tank suggests that if Algeria ever returns to rational diplomacy, “Algiers might even conceivably play a role in persuading the Polisario to accept a negotiated model of self-governance, with the Moroccan autonomy plan as the starting framework.” It acknowledges that such a sensible approach remains “unlikely” given the regime’s ideological obstinacy.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hammered another nail in Algeria’s diplomatic coffin in April, declaring Morocco’s Autonomy Plan “the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute.” The message was clear: Algeria stands alone in its rejectionist stance.
Even longtime Polisario sympathizers are jumping ship
Meanwhile, Tebboune’s few remaining African allies are abandoning ship. Jacob Zuma, founder of South Africa’s UMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party and third political force in the country, recently stood in Rabat and publicly affirmed Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.
He called for strong diplomatic and economic partnership between South Africa and Morocco – a direct repudiation of Tebboune’s failed policies. Zuma’s party has issued a damaging ultimatum to President Cyril Ramaphosa, one of Polisario’s last major supporters, who has been in power since February 14, 2018, giving him just two days to resign.
The party organized confrontational demonstrations at the presidential palace in Pretoria last Friday, condemning Ramaphosa’s “negative record.”
If it were to happen, this development would mimic what occurred in Peru when, in September 2023, the new Peruvian president withdrew recognition of the self-styled “SADR” just months after former president Pedro Castillo’s arrest in December 2022.
In Tebboune’s fantasy fleet, even the lifeboats are sinking
When not spouting geopolitical fantasies, Tebboune retreated to economic fiction. Questioned about a supposed $20 billion Malaysian investment, he fumbled: “in the industry sector!” – unable to provide even basic details of this likely imaginary deal.
His litany of fabrications continued with claims that “In Africa and the Maghreb, we are leaders in artificial intelligence use, especially by our army,” and the laughable assertion that Algeria had transformed from a “school” into “the world’s largest university for counter-terrorism.”
Tebboune’s numbers grew increasingly fantastical as the interview progressed. He boasted of 85% completion for 13,000 investment projects, promised a 90-million-quintal cereal security stock, and hallucinated an agricultural production supposedly worth $38 billion in 2025 – figures that analysts consider divorced from economic reality.
While bragging of Algeria’s supposed economic resilience despite oil price fluctuations, Tebboune conveniently ignored that hydrocarbons still account for 96% of exports, exposing his economic diversification claims as hollow propaganda.
The spectacle confirmed what observers have long known: Tebboune inhabits an alternate reality, continuing to praise the Algerian ship as the world’s most magnificent vessel even as it takes on water from all sides – trapped between diplomatic isolation, economic stagnation, and growing regional irrelevance.
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