Anti-Colonialism and Internationalism: Algerian Solidarity with the Sahrawi People

The recolonization of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) by Morocco and Mauritania in the 1970s took place in an international arena dominated by the Cold War, pan-Arabism and anti-colonialist Arab socialism. In this context, two Maghrebi countries, Algeria and Libya, undertook forms of support for the Sahrawi question ranging from the economic-humanitarian to the political-diplomatic spheres. This article analyzes the solidarity that has characterized the history of relations between Algeria and the Sahrawi people, and argues that it can be explained by ideological (anti-colonialism) and strategic (defense of post-colonial borders) factors of Algerian foreign policy.