In a new response from Morocco to Algeria's decision to sever relations, the permanent Moroccan representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilal, considered that "the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara has been finally settled for Morocco."
According to what was reported by the Moroccan newspaper “Hespress”, Hilal said during the conference of the 24th Committee in the Caribbean: “Love Algeria or hate it, the Moroccan Sahara has been completely decolonised.”
He continued, explaining: “The Moroccan Sahara returned permanently to Morocco, and the Moroccan Sahara was recovered thanks to international law, thanks to negotiations, and thanks to the Madrid Agreement, which the United Nations General Assembly took note of in its decision issued in December 1975.”
He added: “Let us be clear, the issue of the Sahara has been closed.. The inhabitants of the Sahara live in peace in these Moroccan territories and enjoy their full rights, as stated by Ghala Bahia, Vice President of the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region, who participated in the conference at the invitation of the President of the Committee of 24 in her capacity as a representative. democratically elected for the Moroccan Sahara region.
He continued: “Ghala was elected during the regional elections in 2015 in the Moroccan Sahara, and the Kingdom will organize the next elections at the regional level within 10 days, including in its southern provinces.”
Read also: The straw that broke the camel's back.. A report reveals behind the scenes of the crisis in Morocco and Algeria
He stated that there will be a renewal of elected officials.
He said: “This is the desert, it is participatory democracy that includes all generations, and above all it is the right of everyone to live in the daily life of the desert.”
He continued: “The presentation made by the elected representative of the desert, Mrs. Ghala, before the Committee of 24, provides a comprehensive and very tangible picture of the daily life of the population, and its participation in the electoral process, economic development, and the flourishing of culture in general, and Hassani culture in particular.
He pointed out that Algeria and the “polisario” are the ones delaying the appointment of a new personal envoy to the UN Secretary-General, after they opposed under false pretexts several proposals from Antonio Guterres, including former Romanian Prime Minister Petre Roman and former Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado, while Morocco accepted them in record time.
He made it clear that Rabat hopes that Algeria will agree this time to the next candidate without procrastination or prevarication.
Noting that “there is a political process in which Morocco is involved and Algeria is a concerned party.
Hilal turned to the Algerian ambassador, saying: “Why did Algerian Minister Ramtane Lamamra come to sit with us and the personal envoy during the last round table in Geneva? Why did Security Council resolutions refer to Algeria five times by name? Not because his country is just an observer, as the representative of Algeria tries to convince us, but because his country is indeed a major party in this regional dispute.
Behind the scenes of the Morocco-Algeria crisis
In another context, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy published an analytical report by David Pollock, in which he shed light on the recent diplomatic crisis between Algeria and Morocco, which led to the severance of relations.
Under the title “The Crack in Relations between Algeria and Morocco: A Non-Comic Play of Mistakes,” Pollock says that the recent diplomatic split between Algeria and Morocco is likely due to Algeria’s desire to divert attention from the challenges it faces at home, but the slips Other actors may have tipped the scales.
He continued: “Amidst all the recent bad headlines about Afghanistan, most readers have undoubtedly missed another, less fateful but sad and important event, which is taking place on the other side of the Middle East, namely: Algeria’s severing of diplomatic relations with its neighbor, Morocco.”
Tension between Morocco and Algeria
The tensions between the two countries have increased in recent months, but recent developments - according to the author - have led to an escalation of the estrangement between the two countries to a level we have not seen for a long time. The reasons appear, at least to an outside observer, to be a mixture of deliberate political disagreements and tactical missteps, exacerbated by mistakes or sins of omission on the part of various external actors.
In my opinion, Algeria plays the leading role in this tragicomedy. It now accuses Morocco of committing "hostile acts".
Also read: An unannounced reconciliation with Spain.. The Moroccan ambassador is preparing to return, and these are the conditions of King Mohammed VI
Official statements and unofficial leaks from Algiers interpret this accusation to include new Moroccan support, at least verbally, for advocates of the ethnic rights of the Amazigh (Kabyles/Kabyles) inside Algeria; allegations of Moroccan spying on Algerian politicians, officials, and ordinary citizens; Rabat recently hosted Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who took advantage of that platform to publicly criticize Algeria for its alleged inclination towards Iran and the “radical” axis in the region.
The writer also believes that, of course, behind all this, there is a period of almost half a century of Moroccan-Algerian conflict that is still going on over Western Sahara. This vast area of mostly desert lands extends along the southwestern borders of Algeria and Morocco all the way to the Atlantic coast, which Morocco took over from Spain in 1975, at a time when Muammar Gaddafi and Algeria supported the “Polisario” movement [which demanded] local independence.
On top of all that, recent rumors in Algeria, possibly fueled by the regime, promote extremist conspiracy theories about Morocco's complicity in the massive new forest fires on Algerian soil, and in material support for "terrorist" or separatist organizations inside Algeria.
Behind this whole campaign probably lies the Algerian government's internal dilemma. According to Pollock, who indicated that this autocratic government, according to his description, is popular despite the elections, and has been facing mass protests by the opposition (“Hirak”) and other social movements over the past two years.
This government is currently ruling in the midst of a sharp downturn in the economy with little prospect of recovery in the near term. Ironically, according to one Algerian expert I spoke with recently, keeping Algeria's border with Morocco closed may shield Algeria's weaker and more centralized economy from competition—even while denying locals opportunities for trade, low-cost consumer imports, or employment. Trying to deflect popular discontent by diverting attention to foreign scapegoats is a desperate and proven tactic that has been tested over the years by similar regimes.
However, this technique pales in the face of reliable poll results from various Arab countries that show that an overwhelming majority (usually 75-85 percent) of citizens in each society agree on propositions like the following: “For now, political reforms Domestic economics is much more important to our country than any foreign policy issue - so we should stay out of any wars outside our borders.”
It is precisely for this reason, at least in part, that the Algerian government, though largely permeated by the “authority” of the military and security services, is unlikely to risk allowing this diplomatic spat to devolve into an actual armed conflict with Morocco. One indication of its keenness is that consular offices appear to remain open, at least for the time being.
Morocco's role
As for Morocco's secondary role in these dramatic events, it revolves more around mixed messages than deliberate provocation. On the occasion of the Throne Day, the last speech of King Mohammed VI was marked by a remarkable conciliatory attitude towards Algeria.
However, a subsequent message from Morocco's ambassador to the United Nations, who suddenly endorsed the "right to self-determination" of the Kabyle people across the Algerian border, discredited the king's message. It seems that this was the last straw that broke the camel's back in Algeria's latest and unfriendly response, although it had been publicly considering similar moves even before that.
Read also: King Mohammed VI of Morocco responds to Algeria's announcement to cut ties with Rabat with this decision
The unintentional attack itself must be attributed to Israel, which plays only a limited role in this regard. Late last year, as a follow-up to the “Abraham Accords,” Morocco “normalized” diplomatic relations with Israel, only to be rewarded by the Trump administration by recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Many analysts, including this author, expected this move, which was welcomed in many respects, to inflame tensions with Algeria, though it likely would not amount to war.
Unfortunately, the Israeli Foreign Minister reinforced this narrative, I believe unintentionally, during his recent official visit to Morocco - the first such public visit in decades, or since the Madrid/Oslo-era "multilateral track" economic conference. It convened in Casablanca in 1994. His incautious statements did not serve this time any apparent Israeli, Moroccan or other ally interest. Thus, it was a tactical mistake that should never be repeated.
America is trying to maintain its alliance with Morocco and improve its relations with Algeria
The author continues: Finally, we come to the small American role in this whole episode. Washington, which wants to preserve its long-standing alliance with Morocco and improve its relations with Algeria at the same time, can do more than simply look anxiously at further divergence between the two countries. In addition, these days, American officials are preoccupied with many other more serious crises and dilemmas—from Afghanistan to Iran and beyond, not to mention serious domestic social, economic, and health problems.
The author concludes at the end of his analysis that, as a result, we should not expect an effective US attempt at conflict management or mediation in North Africa. The good side for everyone involved is simply that neither side really wants to take unforeseen risks in the event of a full-blown confrontation either.
In short, the diplomatic rupture between Algeria and Morocco is a worrying development, but not a major concern. This likely means that it will not be healed easily or quickly, even if it will no doubt remain confined to sad diplomatic and political symbolism.
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