The dispute over water, the key to the Tunisian Foreign Minister's visit to Algeria
The good relations between Tunisia and Algeria could be marred by the decision of Abdelmadjid Tebboune's government to undertake work on hydraulic infrastructures that could affect the supply of precious water to its neighbours Libya and Tunisia.
In fact, the main reason for the visit to Algeria on Monday 27th January by the Tunisian Foreign Minister, Mohamed Ali Al-Nafti, was to discuss this issue.
The Tunisian Foreign Minister was received in Algiers by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was accompanied by the private secretary of the Algerian Presidency, Boualem Boualem, and the Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf.
Water security
In an issue as sensitive for North African countries as water supply, which is a matter of state in countries such as Morocco, Algeria's decision to build a series of dams in the river valleys it shares with Libya and Tunisia, as well as to exploit underground aquifers that are also shared, could lead to a tense diplomatic confrontation between the affected countries and Tebboune's government.
However, the Tunisian government led by Kais Saied has once again shown its moderation and is addressing this dispute through its well-known calm diplomacy.
Saied's good relations with Tebboune himself have not prevented him from raising the issue of guaranteeing his water security, although with carefully chosen words so as not to hurt feelings.
Thus, the communiqué issued by the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in relation to the visit of Minister Mohamed Ali Al-Nafti to Algeria indicated that the objective of the visit was to ‘resolve some differences, including those related to water security’.
Quiet diplomacy
The way in which the Tunisian government is dealing with this dispute has earned praise from various international observers, who have valued the astuteness of the Tunisian leader, Kais Saied, in taking advantage of his good relations with the Algerian president Tebboune and the convergence of their positions in relation to various bilateral issues and issues of regional interest.
Furthermore, the Tunisian government is aware that now is exactly the right time to put the water issue on the table, as Algeria finds itself increasingly isolated both within Africa and with regard to Europe.
It should be remembered that bilateral relations intensified from 25 July 2021, the date of the ‘self-coup d'état’ that allowed Saied to remain at the head of the Tunisian government, dismissing the parliament.
Since then, Algeria has provided Tunisia with energy support, in the form of electricity and gas, which has enabled Saied's government to overcome a complicated situation at home. Tunisia recently announced the supply of more than 22,000 tonnes of Algerian gas to meet its needs during the cold winter.
The origin of the dispute
Alarms went off in Tunisia as a result of the damage being recorded to the flow of the Meyerda River, which crosses Algeria and Tunisia and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The low flow is not only due to the persistent drought of recent years, but also to the construction by Algeria of a series of dams in the region of Souk Ahras (the Roman Tagaste, birthplace of St Augustine), where the Meyerda rises, which have ended up affecting the level of the river downstream.
Furthermore, the natural region that encompasses the territories of Algeria, Libya and Tunisia has large reserves of groundwater that the Algerian government has reportedly begun to exploit unilaterally to benefit its agricultural projects. A controversial decision, at a time when reports from international organisations predict a period of lasting drought in North Africa.
Groundwater Committee
In an effort to defuse a potential diplomatic row with Tunisia and Libya, the Tebboune government promoted the signing, in November 2024, of an agreement between the three countries establishing a committee ‘for consultation on shared groundwater’
In an effort to reassure Tunisia and Libya, last November the Algerian president signed the agreement between the three countries to establish a committee ‘for consultation on shared groundwater’, which has not, however, served to stop the exploitation work undertaken by Algeria.
The need to create this joint committee, which came into being in November, was adopted seven months earlier, in April 2024, when Algeria, Tunisia and Libya agreed to ‘strengthen the partnership to establish a consultation mechanism related to groundwater and develop a new approach aimed at preserving common interests and improving cooperation and coordination in the field of water resources in a sustainable manner, taking into account the principle of the sovereignty of each country over its groundwater’.
Against this background, the fact that Tunisia has openly raised the issue of water (albeit with exquisite tact) prior to the visit of Foreign Minister Al-Nafti to Algiers has been interpreted as a veiled warning to the Tebboune government.
According to the Tunisian Foreign Ministry's previous statement, the intention was for Al-Nafti to discuss with his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Attaf, ‘the deepening of cooperation and partnership in vital sectors that are a priority for both parties, especially energy, food and water security, transport, trade and irregular activities’.
In any case, the Tebboune government is well aware that Tunisia is a vital ally for Algeria at the moment, as the latter finds itself increasingly isolated both on the African continent and internationally.