Summary:

On 1 February 2024, the Polisario Front, which Morocco considers a hostile separatist movement, announced plans to participate in the International Exhibition for Traditional Handicrafts and Crafts in Sfax. This prompted Moroccan officials to call the group’s participation a “clear violation of Moroccan sovereignty.”  

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On 2 February 2024, Moroccan diplomats in Tunisia requested the removal of Polisario Front flags from a handicraft exhibition in Sfax. The flags were removed but the delegation from Western Sahara continued to participate. 

The diplomatic conflict follows an August 2022 dust-up between Tunisia and Morocco when Tunisia invited the leader of the Polisario Front to Tunis to participate in Japan’s International Conference on African Development (TICAD). This invitation prompted Rabat to recall its ambassador to Tunis in protest. 

The latest tensions of Western Sahara come following a visit by Tunisia Interior Minister Kamel Feki to Algeria in late January 2024 as well as a visit by Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf to Tunis in early February. Algeria remains a steadfast ally of the Polisario Front, creating persistent tensions between Algeria and Morocco and forcing other North African countries to carefully navigate the issue. 

Outlook: 

As Tunisia’s economic condition worsens, its relationship with Algeria has become increasingly important as the oil-rich western neighbor has proven willing to provide substantial economic support in the past. 

However, this support likely comes with an ongoing agreement to indirectly support Algeria’s position on Western Sahara and the Polisario Front. While Tunisia remains officially neutral on the issue, the inclusion of the Polisario Front in TICAD and, more recently, the exhibition in Sfax, represent small demonstrations of loyalty to Algeria’s position.  

While the content of the late January and early February meetings between Algerian and Tunisian officials did not explicitly touch on the issue of Western Sahara, these issues are likely engaged upon regularly via diplomatic channels as Morocco and Algeria grapple for regional support for their positions. 

For now, Tunisia has far more to gain from remaining close with Algeria as compared to Morocco, and so will likely continue to take occasional symbolic actions to affirm allegiance to Algeria as the Western Sahara issue continues to play out across the region. 

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