How does Morocco use The Kabyle Crisis as a trump card against Algeria?

At the meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in New York, which was held virtually on July 13 and 14, 2021, Morocco distributed to the member states a document declaring support for the "Movement for the Independence of Kabyles", which Algeria considers separatist.

On June 16, 2021, Algeria called on the Moroccan authorities for clarifications regarding what it described as “aggressive statements” by the Rabat ambassador to the United Nations.

The crisis went to the extent that Algeria withdrew its ambassador to Morocco, so who are the "tribes", and what is the importance of the file in the crisis between the two countries?

Algeria classifies the "Movement for the Independence of Kabylia" - which deals with the areas inhabited by Berbers east of the capital Algiers - as a "terrorist organization".

 

Dispute in the United Nations

Moroccan media quoted the country's ambassador to the United Nations, Omar Hilal, as saying that during the meeting of the Non-Aligned Countries, he called for the "independence of the Kabyle people" in Algeria.

Hilal's call came after the Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra announced his support for the right of self-determination for the residents of the Sahara region, which has been disputed between Morocco and the Polisario Front since 1975.

In response, the Algerian Foreign Ministry statement said: "The Moroccan diplomatic representation in New York (at the United Nations) has distributed an official document to all member states of the Non-Aligned Movement, the content of which is officially dedicated to the involvement of the Kingdom of Morocco in an anti-Algerian campaign."

He added that the document expressed "apparent and explicit support for what it claims is the right of self-determination for the tribal people," who, according to the aforementioned memorandum, "is subjected to the longest foreign occupation."

He continued: "In light of this situation arising from a dubious diplomatic act issued by an ambassador, Algeria, a sovereign and indivisible republic, has the right to await clarification of the official and final position of the Kingdom of Morocco on this very serious incident."

Rabat insists on its right to the territory of the Sahara, and proposes expanded autonomy under its sovereignty, while the "Polisario" demands the organization of a referendum for self-determination, a proposal supported by Algeria, which hosts refugees from the region.

In his response to what he considered a "provocative intervention" by the new Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, during the general ministerial discussion, Hilal touched on the issue of the Sahara.

In a memorandum addressed to the Azerbaijani presidency of the movement and distributed to all members, the Moroccan diplomat expressed his great surprise at the selection of the Algerian minister, who touched on the issue of the Sahara during his "first statement in an international forum, since his recent appointment" at the head of his country's diplomacy.

Hilal stressed that "the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, which falls exclusively within the competence of the UN Security Council, was not on the agenda of the meeting, nor is it related to its subject."

On the other hand, Hilal expressed his regret that the Algerian minister is demanding the right to self-determination for the so-called "fake republic declared unilaterally in the Algerian capital, in violation of international law," as he put it.

The permanent representative of the Kingdom to the United Nations concluded by saying that the Algerian minister, who "stands as a strong defender of the right to self-determination, denies this same right to the Kabyle people, one of the oldest peoples in Africa, which suffers from the longest foreign occupation."

He added, "Self-determination is not a moody principle. That is why the brave Kabyle people, more than any other people, deserve the full enjoyment of the right to self-determination."

 

Summon the Ambassador

On July 18, 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled its ambassador to Rabat for consultations.

It confirmed in a statement, that "this measure comes due to the absence of any positive and appropriate response from the Moroccan side, after the action of Morocco's representative to the United Nations, which distributed an official memorandum containing Rabat's support for the independence of the Kabyle region."

It added, "There is an urgent need for the Kingdom of Morocco to clarify its final position on the extremely dangerous situation resulting from the rejected statements of its ambassador in New York."

It pointed out that "Due to the absence of any positive and appropriate response from the Moroccan side, it was decided today to summon the Algerian ambassador in Rabat, immediately, for consultation," explaining that "it does not rule out taking other measures, according to the development in this case."

The British "BBC" network quoted Arab newspapers from the recent tension between Algeria and Morocco against the backdrop of Morocco's permanent representative to the United Nations calling for "the right of self-determination" for the inhabitants of the Kabyle region in Algeria, which responded by recalling its ambassador to Rabat.

Algerian writers described what the Moroccan delegate did as a "fall with uncalculated consequences", and that Morocco is trying to "export its problems abroad" and that self-determination applies only to the Moroccan countryside.

The Moroccans’ book considered what the Moroccan delegate said was not a “slip of the tongue” but rather “a bell to declare war” with Algeria, using the same tools that the latter used in its talk about “the self-determination of the Sahara” and “the Saharawi people.”

The London-based newspaper, Rai Al-Youm, described the relations between the two countries as "entering the worst period in 30 years", and expressed concern that the crisis would lead to a "real rupture" between the two neighbors.

 

Independence Movement

Morocco considers the Kabyle crisis in Algeria, some of whose people are demanding independence from the state, as a trump card that it waves in the face of its eastern neighbor when it supports the Polisario Front.

It is a cultural-natural area in northeastern Algeria, covering several states, and the diversity of the ecosystem of the region makes it a seat of biodiversity, which is protected by several national parks.

Its climate, formed by the relief, can include harsh winters and arid summers.

The Movement for the Independence of the Kabylia region is a political organization that seeks to claim autonomy for the region in Algeria.

The movement was founded by the popular singer Ferhat Mehenni after the events of the "Black Spring" in 2001. Most of the leaders of the movement live in France.

In 2010, this movement announced in Paris the formation of an interim government for the Kabylia region headed by Ferhat Mehenni, who considers his movement to be the first of its kind towards the federal Algerian state.

The Kabyle independence movement classifies itself as the spokesperson for the Kabyle minority, which suffers "marginalization" due to the Algerian authorities' "efforts" to assimilate the Arabized minority into the ranks of the Berbers.

At the end of 2013, specifically in December, Ferhat Mehenni called for a European intervention led by France in order to solve the crisis that erupted in the city of Ghardaia in southern Algeria between Beni M’zab "Berbers" and Chaamba "Arabs".

The leader of the separatist movement also called on the European Union countries to cancel the economic agreements concluded with Algeria as a punitive measure.

On the Terrorist List

A few months ago, the Algerian authorities placed the separatist Kabyle Independence Movement on the list of "terrorist organizations" in a new security measure following the announcement of the dismantling of a "separatist" cell affiliated with the movement.

The Algerian authorities confirmed that the cell was planning to carry out bombings amid the protest rallies.

A statement by the Ministry of Defense stated that it had revealed the preparation of a "dangerous plot" targeting the country with a separatist movement behind it, and that the disclosure of this "conspiracy" was part of the completion of security investigations that have been ongoing since March 2021.

The statement confirmed the involvement of figures belonging to the separatist movement in planning to carry out bombings and criminal acts amid popular rallies and gatherings in several regions of Algeria, but the movement itself has repeatedly denied this.

The activity of the "Independence Movement for Kabylia" is completely banned in Algeria, where the government accuses it of being a "separatist and racist movement" against Arabs in particular.

Algeria does not know issues of secession, but there is an ethnic and cultural plurality, according to what the state believes.

Experts in Algeria have often warned against igniting tension and sowing violence by external support for the independence movement of the breakaway Kabylia region.

Experts believe that countries that are at odds with Algeria provide support to the movement to implement political agendas that suit their interests.