There are structural and factual similarities between the two organizations, even though their historical and ideological contexts differ.
In Western geopolitical analyses, the Polisario Front has often been described as receiving military, diplomatic, financial, and logistical support from Algeria since 1975. The Polisario, which is based in Tindouf on Algerian territory, is supported by the Algerian regime, which also sponsors Islamic State and Al-Qaeda jihadists in the Sahel, particularly in Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad, and Libya.
In the Middle East, Hamas has received military, financial, and training support from Iran since the late 1980s, alongside other armed organizations designated as terrorist groups, such as the Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
According to experts, in both cases, the Algerian and Iranian sponsors use this support as a means of exerting influence and pursuing regional hegemony.
Despite the assistance provided by Algeria and Iran, both armed non-state actors, Hamas and the Polisario, remain armed militias with fictitious territories claiming.
Historically, Algeria has used the Polisario to counter Morocco in North Africa and potentially secure access to the Atlantic Ocean.
Similarly, Iran supports Hamas as part of its “Axis of Resistance,” with the aim of encircling Israel and expanding its influence throughout the Middle East.
According to other observers, Algeria and Iran share an anti-Western and antisemitic diplomatic stance and both support these so-called causes, as well as jihadist groups, primarily as a means of maintaining control over their own populations.