Relationship dossier
Algeria
Senegal
Relationship assessment
Bilateral cooperation spans several fields, alongside a divergence over Western Sahara.
Algeria toward Senegal
+30Algeria engaged Senegal through high-level bilateral talks and agreements announced during Senegalese President Macky Sall’s 2023 visit, covering areas including energy, justice, culture and agriculture. Algeria’s opposition to Morocco’s claims over Western Sahara contrasts with Senegal’s support for Morocco’s position.
Senegal toward Algeria
+30Senegal engaged Algeria through high-level talks and agreements announced during President Macky Sall’s 2023 visit. Senegal’s support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara, including opening a consulate in Dakhla, diverges from Algeria’s policy.
Overall relationship
+25Government engagement and multi-sector agreements provide a basis for cooperation, while the countries’ opposing positions on Western Sahara create a significant political divergence. The scale and practical results of bilateral cooperation are not clear enough to characterize the relationship as a close partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Algeria and Senegal have pursued bilateral cooperation through government agreements and high-level engagement, including a 2023 visit by Senegalese President Macky Sall to Algeria and agreements covering several areas. Senegal’s support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara, including opening a consulate in Dakhla, contrasts with Algeria’s position and is a notable source of political friction.
Areas of tension
- Senegal’s support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara contrasts with Algeria’s support for Sahrawi self-determination.
- Senegal opened a consulate in Dakhla, a move at odds with Algeria’s position on the disputed territory.
Key developments
During Senegalese President Macky Sall’s visit to Algeria, the governments announced agreements in several fields, including energy, justice, culture and agriculture.
Senegal opened a consulate in Dakhla, reflecting its support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the agreements announced during the 2023 visit are unclear.
- The extent to which Senegal’s Western Sahara policy has affected bilateral government cooperation is unclear.