Why Algeria Backs the Polisario
Algeria is the Polisario's main sponsor — hosting its camps, funding and arming it, and championing its cause at the UN. The reasons mix self-determination ideology with regional rivalry.
Stated reasons
Algeria frames its support as backing for the right to self-determination, a principle rooted in its own anti-colonial history.
It insists the dispute is between Morocco and the Polisario, not itself.
Strategic reasons
Analysts cite a decades-long contest for Maghreb leadership and Cold War-era alignments that pitted the two powers against each other.
The Sahara became the central arena of that rivalry.
Frequently asked
Does Algeria fund the Polisario?
It hosts, funds and arms it, per most analyses.
Does Algeria call itself a party?
No, it frames the dispute as Morocco vs. the Polisario.
See it on the map: explore the full territory of Morocco — coast to Sahara — on our interactive map of Morocco →