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Algeria is mounting an ambitious campaign to secure the Deputy Chairperson role at the African Union (AU) Commission, aiming to reassert its leadership in Africa after years of political retreat.

With February's AU summit is fast approaching, Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune deployed a trio of high-ranking ministers on a diplomatic tour to rally support for Algeria's candidate, Ambassador Salima Malika Haddadi. A close ally of Tebboune, Haddadi currently serves as Algeria's envoy to Ethiopia and the African Union.

The campaign has seen Algerian officials criss-cross the continent, holding meetings with leaders in Zambia, Eritrea, Burundi, Uganda, and Ethiopia to pitch Haddadi's candidacy and Algeria's vision for the AU.

Tebboune also hosted South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, one of the bloc's most influential members, in Algiers recently.

Speaking from Addis Ababa, Algeria's foreign minister Ahmed Attaf framed his country's bid as "a moral imperative".

"This is not a quest for empty prestige or political vanity," he declared on 17 December. "Algeria's commitment stems from a genuine desire to serve Africa in a time of profound crisis and global uncertainty."

Algeria's campaign also taps into its grievances with some of the AU's recent decisions, notably the controversial 2021 move to grant Israel observer status.

Israel and Polisario: Algeria's agenda in the AU

Israel attained observer status in the bloc in 2021, after nearly 20 years of diplomatic efforts to infiltrate the bloc.

At the time, the AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat defended the decision, arguing that the peace process between Palestine and Israel must include all parties. Palestine already had observer status at the AU.

In 2023, the bloc suspended Israel's observer status in the face of protests from countries like South Africa and Algeria, who opposed inviting Israeli officials to pan-African gatherings while Tel Aviv continues to commit a genocide in the Gaza Strip.

If Algeria secures the Deputy Chairperson role at the AU, it is also expected to make the case for one of its long-standing allies in the region: the Polisario Front, a separatist movement in Western Sahara.

Algeria has consistently backed the Front in its decades-long struggle against Morocco, which considers the disputed territory as its own.

Rabat withdrew from the Pan-African bloc in 1984 after the AU approved Polisario membership under the disputed state of "the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic."

However, Morocco rejoined the bloc in 2017 "to defend" its case from inside the African Union, but without recognising the separatist Front.

Moroccan officials have gone further, threatening to the Front from the Union as Rabat gains more influence on the continent.

Rabat is also eyeing the Deputy Chairperson role at the AU. Its candidate is Latifa Akharbach, a former journalist and seasoned diplomat known for her commitment to the Sahara issue.

Morocco vs Algeria in the AU election

Experts predict the competition will be anything but peaceful between Morocco and Algeria, whose representatives have been known to literally throw punches at each other.

"Given the level of tensions between Algeria and Morocco, sadly illustrated by the brawl between the diplomats of the two countries in Tokyo, one can imagine that they won't be pulling any punches," predicts François Soudan, director of the Pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique.

On 24 August, a heated brawl broke out between Algerian and Moroccan diplomats at TICAD, a conference for African-Japanese cooperation in Tokyo.

A video shows a Moroccan representative jumping onto a table to grab a nameplate reading "Sahrawi Republic" placed by Lamine Baali, the "Sahrawi Republic's ambassador" to the African Union. Baali reportedly entered the meeting with an Algerian diplomatic passport, as Tokyo does not recognise the entity.

An Algerian diplomat intervened, wrestling the Moroccan representative to the ground. Although separated, the two continued exchanging verbal hostilities.

The race for Deputy Chairperson isn't limited to Algeria and Morocco. Other candidates from North Africa—set to take the role in 2025—are also vying for the position.

Egyptian economist Hanan Morsy and Libyan diplomat Najat Hajjaji bring strong credentials, with extensive experience at the UN and the African Development Bank. Their bids could appeal to many African nations eager to avoid choosing sides in the Algeria-Morocco brawls.