Algeria seeks to revive its bloc with Tunisia and Libya in the face of the advance of an anti-Algerian alliance in the Sahel

Faced with an extreme situation, the Algerian government is trying to reactivate alliances with its neighbouring countries: Tunisia and Libya. The escalation of tension between the countries of the Sahel region and Abdelmadjid Tebboune's government threatens diplomatic isolation, which Algeria wants to avoid at all costs by strengthening its influence. 

The emergence of the Sahel Alliance, backed by powers such as Russia and Turkey, has adopted a critical stance towards Algeria. With migratory pressure having increased in recent months, and relations breaking down following the withdrawal of the ambassadors of the Sahel Alliance countries from Algiers, Algeria also decreed the closure of airspace, denouncing violations by Mali. 

Faced with this scenario, Algeria has considered a possible alliance with Tunisia and Libya as a necessary platform to maintain its strategic position in the region. However, this new alliance does not have a solid structure despite the needs that the Algerian Executive is showing. 

This is mainly due to the lack of will, both on the part of Tunisia and Libya, to commit to Algerian aspirations since, according to analysts, the three countries do not share major common objectives that would make the Tunisian and Libyan governments consider a possible alliance. The first symptom is the lack of decision on the dates for a summit to define Algerian claims on the creation of this possible tripartite bloc. 

In the case of Tunisia, the discussions it is holding with Algeria on migration issues would be the main stumbling block that Tebboune would have to resolve in order for the Tunisians to sit down to negotiate. Libya, on the other hand, is at a fragile political crossroads, so there is no possibility of a strong commitment to both nations. 

To all this we must add the diplomatic errors committed by Algeria, such as its supposed relations with the separatist movements in the Sahel and its interference in the internal affairs of other countries. As a consequence, the Algerian position and the neutral and mediating role that it tries to export to the outside world lacks any real justification. 

But Algeria's problems are not only diplomatic. In terms of security and immigration, in recent years it has been suffering from very strong migratory pressure from the countries of the Sahel Alliance. In an attempt to regain control, the Algerian government has raised the possibility of mass deportations. 

But despite this, Algeria insists that this new grouping is not an attempt to replace the Maghreb Union, but rather an alternative alliance that seeks viable solutions to the current problems caused by the paralysis of traditional regional institutions. 

However, for this to happen, Algiers would need to maintain a minimum level of political coordination that could be used to manage and counter the Sahel Alliance and the threat it poses to Tebboune's interests.