Se recrudece el conflicto diplomático entre Marruecos y Argelia

"Algeria is an enemy state", declared the Moroccan consul in the Algerian city of Oran on May 13. With this message, a diplomatic conflict began between the two powers of the Maghreb which, until now, seems to have a difficult solution. The Alaoui diplomat has ended up leaving Algeria, the spokesman of the Algerian Presidency, Mohand Oussaïd Belaïd, confirmed on Tuesday. "The Moroccan Consul had indeed left the national territory at the request of Algeria [...] His attitude has exceeded all limits, including those of aptitude and even international norms [...] The attitude of the Moroccan Consul was not surprising because he is a Moroccan intelligence officer"," the official said. "We knew that he was a Moroccan intelligence officer, appointed as consul in Oran for other reasons”, Belaïd reiterated to the Algerian agency TSA.

These allegations, accusing the diplomat of not being a consul and instead of working for the Kingdom's intelligence services, aroused "consternation" in Rabat. In fact, the Moroccan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita expressed his country's "displeasure" and added: "Morocco rejects these ridiculous and baseless assertions."

The same day that the consul pronounced the words that have raised the controversy, Algeria already summoned the ambassador of the Kingdom in its territory to ask him for an explanation for the behaviour of the diplomat. "The qualification by the consul general ... if it were to be established ... is a serious violation of diplomatic habits and customs, which cannot be tolerated," they said from Algiers. In addition, the ministry advised Morocco to "take appropriate measures to avoid any repercussions of this incident on the ties" between the two countries", something which, with the expulsion of the consul, has not been achieved.  

The Algerian spokesman, however, assured that "this page in the diplomatic relations between the two parties has been closed" and that they are working "to raise the level in order to preserve brotherly relations between the two countries". Bourita, for his part, also affirmed in the Moroccan agency MAP that the Kingdom "has always opted for appeasement in its relations with Algeria".  

In any case, it should be noted that the tension between the two Maghreb actors has intensified recently, with one question as a backdrop for the estrangement: the dispute over Western Sahara. Algiers supports the Polisario Front, which declared the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), not recognised by Rabat, to be autonomous within its sovereignty. In this context, the Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune recently denounced the existence of "lobbies" against his country's army which were trying to destabilise the Algerian scene. Although he did not explicitly refer to the Kingdom, local media such as L'Expression indicated that the president's speech had taken place in a "context of abundant regional security", as it coincided with the "incessant and repeated attacks by the Makhzen on Algeria", 'Makhzen' being a term used to illustrate the deep Moroccan state and the way in which the king and the surrounding elite are managed in the political life of the country. "The Makhzen understand the cause: Algeria is a permanent enemy and therefore we must be prepared to fight it at any time," Brahim Takheroubt said in the publication.

In addition, it was known on Monday that Algeria intends to "strengthen security measures on its borders with Morocco," according to El Bilad. A decision that would have been taken after numerous attempts at drug smuggling and the remarkable increase in the country's flow of narcotics from the Kingdom, particularly from the western border towns. The plans include the installation of thermal cameras in "certain areas known to be very popular with Moroccan traffickers, such as Maghnia, Tindouf, Naâma or Bechar", according to the publication. "This sophisticated new tool will make it possible, in particular, to track down traffickers at night. In fact, smugglers take advantage of the night period to try to reach Algerian soil in four-wheel drive vehicles and with the help of Algerian mediators," explained El Bilad. 

But strengthening security at the border is not only a matter for Algiers. On May 24, Rabat announced the construction of a large military base in Jerada province, just one kilometre from Algerian territory. This new installation is part of the military strategy implemented since 2014 by Morocco to further protect its land border with Algeria, according to local media. 

Thus, both countries continue to show military muscle, with the ultimate goal of achieving regional leadership on their own. As the analyst Lucas Martín states in Atalayar, "both countries look at each other with suspicion, because the interests at stake are many".