Tebboune relies on ‘security’ to require visas for people holding Moroccan passports
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has defended his government's decision to reinstate visa requirements for foreigners holding Moroccan passports, saying the move was motivated by ‘political and security considerations’.
‘There is a partnership, not just a simple partnership, between the Zionist entity and Morocco. It is political. What concerns us is the security aspect. We have suspicions that some (Israeli) individuals have entered Algeria with Moroccan passports,’ Tebboune said during a recent interview.
The Algerian leader indicated that they were ‘not necessarily’ spies, although he stressed that ‘entering with passports from an Arab country that is not subject to the visa regime is a real danger’. In this regard, Tebboune also recalled the arrest of ‘three Moroccan spies’ last September.
‘Some of them fled Algeria because they had false Moroccan passports. In this context, restoring the visa requirement is an act of legitimate self-defence,’ Tebboune added.
Algeria's recent decision to reinstate visa requirements for Moroccan passport holders is a major escalation in the already tense relations between the two North African neighbours.
It is also in line with Algeria's strategy in response to Morocco's diplomatic advance. The timing of the decision is particularly notable, as it came on the same day that Denmark announced its support for Morocco's autonomy plan for the Sahara.
Algeria's imposition of visas can also be seen as part of a propaganda campaign aimed at overshadowing growing international support for Morocco's territorial integrity, as the Algiers regime has systematically sought to boycott Moroccan diplomatic advances with measures designed to damage Morocco's international popularity, with the visa requirement being the latest in a series of retaliatory measures.
Nevertheless, Moroccan diplomacy continues to maintain strong international support for its position on the Sahara, prompting Algeria to intensify its counter-narratives and counter-attacks.
