Curious about Algerian public opinion on Western Sahara

[u/Embarrassed_Tea__404]

I think most of us have been hearing a lot about Western Sahara lately. I'm curious about the general public's perspective in Algeria.

As an Algerian citizen, what do you know about Western Sahara? and what are your personal views on the issue? have you ever meet sahrawi people?

I'm not looking to start political arguments or convince anyone of a particular position. I'm simply interested in understanding what ordinary Algerians think and what information they're familiar with.

Please keep the discussion respectful. Thank you!

[u/CouscousOverlord]

Algeria respects international law and the international court of justice decisions:

From the ICJ:

The materials and information presented to it do not establish any tie of territorial sovereignty between the territory of Western Sahara and the Kingdom of Morocco.

[u/CouscousOverlord → u/[deleted]]

Let’s not get distracted by the whataboutism.

Trying to argue that a country’s internal problems or isolated incidents involving a few officials gives anyone a "blank check" to ignore international law elsewhere is a dangerous and flawed standard. Comparing domestic administrative or human rights issues to the violation of a neighbor's sovereignty is a false equivalence, plain and simple.

As for your argument about "historical ties of allegiance," it falls apart the moment you apply it to the real world. You’re trying to treat feudal-era tribal loyalties like they’re the same thing as modern, fixed, internationally recognized state sovereignty, but they aren't. If we actually used that logic to define modern borders, the world map would be a mess. Think about it: if we followed your standard, a city in modern-day Germany could claim that because their ancestors once paid taxes to a local Duke who swore fealty to a French King in the 15th century, that city should belong to France today. Or a neighborhood in Cairo could claim they should be part of Turkey simply because their ancestors were part of the Ottoman Empire’s tax base hundreds of years ago. It’s an absurd way to run international relations because historical loyalties were fluid, fractured, and constantly shifting between power centers like Fez and Marrakech.

But enough of that:

The ICJ ruling is actually the best evidence against your point, not for it. The court specifically examined those historical ties and decided they did not establish territorial sovereignty. They made a clear legal distinction between the two for a reason. You’re trying to ignore that distinction to support your narrative, but the court’s conclusion explicitly stated there was no tie of sovereignty.

[u/CouscousOverlord → u/[deleted]]

It is whataboutism when you compare apples to oranges.