Rapprochement between Morocco and Sahel countries worries Algeria
As part of a warning to Algerian leaders, Algeria's intelligence service presented a comprehensive security report to the Algerian army chief of staff and the Presidential Council on the diplomatic and political crisis scenario facing Mali since last December.
According to the newspaper 'Maghreb Intelligence', Algerian intelligence services have warned about the implications of a rapprochement between Mali and Morocco. If the project, which the Algerian report considers possible, goes ahead, the Alawi country would take the initiative and permanently consolidate itself as an influential actor in Niger, a country bordering Mali and Algeria.
The agreement was signed between the Sahel countries and the Moroccan state as a preliminary to the implementation of the initiative at the Marrakech conference on 23 December, where the ministers representing Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad expressed their commitment to Mohammed VI.
Nasser Bourita, Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs, in line with the King's remarks, stressed the strategic importance of the Sahel region and the deep ties between Morocco and the Sahel. "The challenges facing the Sahel region are also challenges for the North African nation," he concluded.
Since King Mohammed VI visited Mali in 2013 during the inauguration of the new president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, the Kingdom has worked in many areas in order to establish security, peace and stability.
Rabat believes in the importance of regional security and is primarily interested in creating stability and peace in the region, unlike the Algerian regime. The Alawi nation has been overseeing peace and reconciliation plans between governments in the region for decades.
The Initiative, which it announced on the 48th anniversary of the Green March, is expected to reduce the cost of maritime transport, a crucial factor in improving the economic competitiveness of all countries involved in the Sahel region. The Morocco believes in the importance of regional security because it believes it is interested in building stability and peace in the region.
The report confirms that Algerian intelligence services "underline the need to find a rapid and effective solution to the tensions affecting Algerian relations, especially relations with Niger in Mali in the context of the growing Moroccan influence or presence in both countries for fear of regional isolation."
Algeria will assume control and responsibility for the armed rebels, who cannot compete militarily with Mali and Niger because of the potential economic benefits they could derive from economic cooperation with Morocco.
Beyond the military and security perspectives, relations between Morocco and the Sahel countries have strengthened since the arrival of Mohammed VI, who has been instrumental in countless agreements and official visits.
Adopting an approach based on cooperation and joint development, the King of Morocco has stressed on several occasions that the success of the plan is linked to the reconstruction of infrastructure in the Sahel countries and the objective of connecting these countries to transport and communications networks in the region.
Access to international markets in the Sahel region will boost growth in the four neighbouring landlocked countries, provide access to Morocco infrastructure, including roads and ports, and improve labour markets in these countries.