Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), otherwise known as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, was rebuffed in his offer to help mediate an escalating dispute between Morocco and Algeria over their shared border.  The conflict has been building over the course of years, but was exacerbated last month when a Moroccan citizen was killed by Algerian troops near the border, which has been closed between the countries since 1994.

The main dispute between the countries stems from the disputed ownership of the Western Sahara.  Morocco occupied the territory when Spain left in 1975, but Algeria has maintained a claim on the land ever since.  The two countries have not had official relations in more than 20 years.

Algeria has denied receiving any offer from UAE for mediation, but has also stated they would reject any such offer.  Algerian senior officials have been quoted as saying “Algeria and Morocco are capable of resolving their dispute without the intervention of any external parties.”  Morocco has issued no statement at all on the mediation offer, neither confirming nor denying.

The region has become increasingly worried that the territorial dispute will lead to full-scale war between the countries.  The UAE has been trying to establish itself as a peacemaker and diplomatic leader in the region, and would consider leading a mediation between Algeria and Morocco as a way to burnish its credentials as regional stabilizer and to further the goal of establishing an Arab trade bloc including the two countries.