The Real Reasons Behind Algeria’s Severing of Its Relations With Morocco

Relations between Morocco and Algeria have reached an unprecedented deterioration, after a series of situations prompted finally to sever the thread of timid diplomatic communication, amid endless skepticism.

Algeria announced the severance of diplomatic relations with its neighbor Morocco, because of what it said: “It is a series of hostile attitudes and trends manifested in 3 developments in recent weeks.”

In a statement read by Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra to journalists. He said that “the decision was issued under the direction of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.” He also mentioned a number of reasons for severing ties.

However, Morocco believes that “there are other reasons that were not mentioned in the statement.”

This comes after Rabat has repeatedly called on Algiers to turn the page on the differences between the two countries, within the initiatives announced by the country's King Mohammed VI; Algeria considered them as maneuvers and smoke bombs to cover up the hostility.

 

Indictment

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said in a press conference on August 24, 2021, that “his country decided to sever diplomatic relations with Morocco, because of a series of hostile attitudes and tendencies against it by officials in Rabat.”

He added that “his country had waited, since July 16, 2021, for an official clarification from the Moroccan leadership regarding the statements of its representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilal, in which he encroached on Algeria's sovereignty, by speaking of support for the independence of the Kabylie region.”

He considered that “the silence of the Moroccan regime clearly reflects the political support for this act.”

He Added that “Morocco has become a rear base for supporting the series of serious attacks against Algeria, the latest of which is false accusations against her by Israel’s Foreign Minister (Yair Lapid), in the presence of his Moroccan counterpart (Nasser Bourita) and at his instigation.”

Lamamra spoke about what he said: “Morocco's cooperation with two terrorist organizations proven to be involved in the recent Algerian fires has been documented, namely: MAC (The Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie) and Rashad (Islamic trend).”

He added, “Algeria has been patient with these developments in relations recently, hoping that Moroccan officials would review their accounts, but that did not happen.”

Lamamra said: “The majority of African countries, especially the Maghreb, with the exception of Morocco, opposed the decision of the African Union Commission to accept Israel as an observer member of the Union.”

He added that “the continental organization will continue to support the rights of the Palestinian people to establish their state, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”

For its part, Morocco expressed its regret over Algeria's decision to sever diplomatic relations between them, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry described the decision as completely unjustified.

In its statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “Morocco categorically rejects the baseless and absurd pretexts behind Algeria's severing of its relations with the Kingdom.”

The statement added: “Morocco will remain an honest and faithful partner for the Algerian people and will continue to work wisely and responsibly to develop right and useful Maghreb relations.”

 

Reasons for Algeria

Professor of political science, Zouhair Bouamama, considered what was stated in the press conference held by Lamamra “very clear, and that it is about accumulations, the Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned examples of them, but he did not list them all.”

He declared in a television interview on the Jordanian channel Al-Mamlaka, on August 24, 2021, by saying: “What was stated in the statement of the Algerian Security Council, that the Kingdom of Morocco is waging a dirty war against Algeria, in which all means are used to harm and evil it.”

Bouamama said that “the decision of the Algerian Foreign Ministry was expected and considered logical.”

“Algerians are satisfied with the decision as a legitimate self-defense against a country that has gone too far and crossed all red lines,” he added.

The Professor continued: “Morocco has gone too far, when it put its hand in the hands of other hostile countries against his country and the region.”

He considered that “Algeria has given the Moroccan regime an opportunity through mediators, to withdraw its failures and correct its dangerous mistakes.”

Bouamama continued: “The most prominent of these failures is the call by the Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations for the independence of the Kabylie region from Algeria.”

As this is what Rabat considers a natural reaction to the Algerian support of the Polisario Front, which is demanding the separation of the Sahara from the Kingdom.

Professor of political science also referred to “the accusation leveled by Algeria against its neighbor of embracing the Mac, which is accused of being involved in setting the fires that engulfed the country.”

Bouamama added by saying: “Morocco has made its lands a springboard for representatives of the Zionist occupation state to attack Algeria.”

As for the timing when Algeria decided to sever the relations, he said: “Algeria respects good neighborliness; but in the last two years Morocco has exploited the movement and recruited some of its participants to destroy and dismantle the state.”

“Algeria considers the Kingdom of Morocco a rear base for terrorist organizations,” this was stated by Bouamama - in reference to the Mac movement, which Algeria classifies as a terrorist movement -, he is stressing that “the operational team of the movement is on Moroccan soil.”

 

Reasons for Morocco

Moroccan political analyst and professor of international law at the University of Rabat, Taj al-Din al-Husseini, said: “What came in a statement by Lamamra, are ostensible reasons that the military establishment in Algeria clings to reach this kind of decisions that are linked to an exceptional situation in the region, which was the United States' recognition of the Moroccan Sahara.”

Al-Husseini added to “Al-Estiklal”: “Algeria was betting with suspicious complicity with some countries that the United States would back down from that.”

Germany hastened to convene the Security Council in this regard, and it was also noticed that Spanish-Moroccan relations have strained after the visit of the Polisario leader, Brahim Ghali, to the European country, according to what he said.

He added: "We noticed a suspicious dialogue between one of these parties and Algeria, but the latter concluded that the recognition has become official even for the new administration, and that it will not change its opinion.

“Hence, more support for the Polisario began, while allowing it to use weapons against Morocco, which deviates from the rules established by the Security Council since 1991,” according to Al-Husseini.

The international relations expert also emphasized: “A single bullet does not go out from the Polisario Front without prior permission from the Algerian authorities and intelligence.”

He continued: “It appears clear that the goals of the Algerian regime have not been achieved, it is now looking for alternative means. It began to withdraw the ambassador and then sever the relations, in the near future, it may reach the use of weapons by entering with the Polisario in this war.”

He added: “This is not something new to it, as the battles of Amgala that took place between 1975 and 1976 are still present in her memory, where the Moroccan forces captured more than 200 Algerian officers and soldiers, Hosni Mubarak, who was then the Vice President of Egypt, intervened, as well as Prince Fahd, who was then the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, which led to Morocco's release of Algerian prisoners.”

He also pointed out that “Morocco's accusation of involvement in the fires came at a time when the latter offered to send half of the planes it owns to extinguish them, and before that, the message sent by King Mohammed VI to open the borders.”

Al-Husseini stated that “the King proposed in 2018 the establishment of a joint bilateral committee to settle all outstanding issues between the two parties.”

Taj al-Din al-Husseini also considers that “the military establishment in Algeria is pushing this direction.”

He stressed the correctness of his words that “the presidents who showed their goodwill by taking the initiative to solve the crisis were either excluded or executed.”

“This is what happened with (former Algerian presidents) Chadli Bendjedid, who was dismissed after he opened the door to a serious and effective dialogue with Morocco, and with Mohamed Boudiaf, who took a firm stand to end the conflict over the Sahara, he was killed without revealing the details,” as the analyst put it.