The alleged aid Algeria was supposed to send to Morocco was destined for Libya

Algeria never planned to send humanitarian aid to Morocco after last Friday night's earthquake that has already killed nearly 3,000 people. Although Algerian television broadcast images showing several planes full of food, medicines and other necessities, as well as several teams of rescuers, none of this was planned to be sent to Morocco, as they were originally destined for Libya, the victim of the Daniel storm that has left thousands dead.

Maghreb Intelligence was able to confirm this information thanks to several Algerian sources from the Algerian Red Crescent, the organisation in charge of organising all this humanitarian and logistical aid.

According to the sources, the Algerian authorities were well aware that their offer of aid would be rejected by the Moroccan authorities. "Wanting to capitalise on the controversy stirred up by the French media concerning the refusal of the Moroccan authorities to receive official aid from several different states, the Algerian authorities organised a perfect staging exercise with the sole aim of making national and international public opinion believe that Morocco is the villain who refuses Algeria's outstretched hand," explains Maghreb Intelligence.

To this end, the Algerian Red Crescent received urgent orders to mobilise part of the aid destined for the victims of the Libyan catastrophe in order to make the media believe that it had quickly prepared to provide support to the neighbouring country. The Algerian Civil Protection was also involved in this plot "to give the impression that Algerian rescuers were ready to take off for Marrakech and participate in the search for survivors", notes Maghred Intelligence.  

The portal also highlights the absence of the canine team specialised in the search and identification of survivors under the rubble at the Boufarik military airport when the footage was being recorded for Algerian television.

The sources consulted by Maghreb-intelligence also claim that the planes filmed later took off for Libya, as originally planned.

Morocco has always refused Algerian aid, although several Algerian media have reported that Rabat has given the 'green light' to Algerian assistance. The Kingdom has only accepted aid from four countries: Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Regarding Algerian assistance, the Moroccan Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, said during an interview with Al-Arabiya that the Kingdom "welcomes Algerian aid, but in coordination with the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs".

On the other hand, as reported by Hespress, the announcement that Algeria has exceptionally opened its airspace to deliver humanitarian aid to Morocco is false. According to the Moroccan media, "Algeria refused to allow Emirati aid planes to pass through its airspace on their way to Marrakech, forcing them to make a huge detour". "Algeria has neither offered to help Morocco nor has it contacted the Moroccan authorities," Hespress adds.