In Algiers, Moroccos latest moves have been a clear source of tension at a time when Algerias once highly influential diplomatic corps is starting to pick up the pieces after 20 years of stagnation under former president Abdelaziz Bouteflikas regime. "Morocco is in a difficult position where it needs to repair its relationship with the EU at the moment, and particularly now it wants to complete that process so it can focus its diplomatic efforts on the situation with Algeria. It stalled due to unexpectedly stubborn resistance from the town's Algerian and Egyptian garrison. The Moroccan consul in the western Algerian city of Oran called Algeria an enemy country, prompting the Algerian foreign ministry to summon the Moroccan ambassador and to declare the implicated diplomat persona non grata. [7] Moroccan losses were probably lower than the Algerians' but are unconfirmed,[6] with later sources reporting 200 Moroccan dead. Algeria does the same, and talks with its allies that revolve largely around the Western Sahara issue, as well as negotiations with countries focused on the sale of hydrocarbons, gas and oil, are not at all affected by the crisis with Morocco. The two countries have a common border and share the same language, religion, and culture. Highlights Support for: STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor Fixed Issues Red corruption may occur in World War Z: Aftermath when using the Vulkan API. It is now on the military terrain that this almost fifty-year antagonism between the two enemy brothers is unfolding. But Algeria's president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has already warned Morocco that "their killings will not go unpunished,"as the state news agency APS reports. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune accused Morocco of supporting the Kabyle pro-independence organization MAK (Mouvement pour lautodtermination de la Kabylie), classified since last May as a terrorist by the same HCS. Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. ", This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 21:49. [23], Multiple actors, including the Arab League, Tunisia's Habib Bourguiba, Libya's King Idris, and Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie, sought to moderate negotiations. In 2015, Algeria's military budget was $11 billion, while Morocco's was only $3 billion. In order to understand what is at stake, it is worth reflecting on several points: - First, for there to be a war, there must be two opposing camps, either alone as countries or in coalition with other allies. [29] The Soviet Union supplied Algeria with ten T-34 tanks, but these were equipped for clearing minefields and were delivered without turrets or armament. The deterioration of relations between the two Maghreb brothers has, indeed, worsened after the recent rapprochement between Morocco and Israel. The main culprit? Click 'COMPARE' to process the request. Morocco caught up with Algeria . During the Cold War, the late King Hassan II used this conflict as an instrument, drawing a parallel between the Western Sahara conflict and the confrontation between East and West, citing Algerias ideological proximity to the USSR. Clearly, neither Algeria nor Morocco wants an open conflict with inevitably catastrophic consequences for both countries. Three deaths and a threat of armed conflict. But before this last step, there are others through which Algeria or Morocco defends its vital interests. Relations between arch-enemies Morocco and Algeria have hit a new low after three Algerian truck drivers were killed on Monday. Moroccan irredentism, the absence of clear borders, and Algerias unwillingness to reconsider the borders inherited from the colonial period were all reasons that gave rise to the conflict. [7], The Sand War laid the foundations for a lasting and often intensely hostile rivalry between Morocco and Algeria, exacerbated by the differences in political outlook between the conservative Moroccan monarchy and the revolutionary, Arab nationalist Algerian military government. Answer (1 of 8): As ArgentineI would advise two neighboring nations such as Morocco and Algeria NOT to go to war. The Moroccan UNFP and the Algerian-Berber FFS of At Ahmed both suffered as a result of this. Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Military doctrine in both countries is based on the consideration that "in order to carry weight on the international geopolitical stage, it is necessary to have modern, high-quality armed forces". Relations between the Algerian Socialist Republic and the Sherifian Monarchy are far from stabilized, and one cannot avoid considering peace in this region of the Maghreb as a fragile truce that the slightest incident could call into question. Morocco and Algeria have engaged in a dangerous arms race in recent decades. "Alone at Home" children's play debuts at Sharjah Children's Reading Festival 2023. Morocco controls 80% of the Western Sahara, Algeria supports the independence movementPolisario Front. Called the War of the Sands, this war refers to the attack of the Algerian army on Moroccan troops which caused the death of 12 Moroccan soldiers. At first glance, it is easy to believe that they are similar in every way. These developments were all it took for both countries media outlets to launch into virulent and often insulting smear campaigns against the opposing side. [33], On October 22, hundreds of Cuban troops arrived at Oran. Marinid Sultanate (1244-1465) [ edit] Wattasid Sultanate (1472-1554) [ edit] Saadi Sultanate (1510-1659) [ edit] Alaouite Sultanate (1668-1912) [ edit] Kingdom of Morocco (1956-present) [ edit] References [ edit] ^ Mrini, Driss; Alaoui, Ismal (1997). Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statutes that might otherwise be infringing. In Algiers, this is not far from being considered a declaration of war. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), created in 1976, is supported by Algiers, which even agrees to shelter its leaders and hundreds of thousands of Sahrawi refugees on its soil. [31] On October 13, 1963, Moroccan ground units launched a major offensive on Tindouf. While Moroccos financial support for the MAK leadership abroad is in little doubt for many dissidents of the organization born in the aftermath of the Kabyle Black Spring of 2001 (126 deaths), no actions by Algiers in support of the Rif Hirakare known yet, but this could change under the terms of the HCS communiqu. Please contact us in case of abuse. Rabats African strategy has allowed it to develop relationships and trade agreements with regional groups such as ECOWAS and turn some African states in its favor on the Western Sahara issue. Answer (1 of 5): It depends on who starts the war, however Portugal and morocco arent enemies, they have no current conflict. By downloading this PDF you agree to subscribe to The Africa Report Daily newsletter, This year's AU could work to Morocco's advantage over Western Sahara, Morocco/Algeria : Tensions on the rise after Algerian show mocks the King, Morocco/Algeria: Western Sahara conflict shows signs of escalation, Morocco/Algeria: The armed forces behind the Western Sahara conflict, Morocco/Algeria: Military leaders in the shadows, Morocco/Algeria: Jeune Afrique, a magazine caught between two mortal enemies. The two countries summoned each others ambassadors. Progress on the issue has been at a standstill ever since Morocco and the Polisario Front signed a cease-fire agreement in 1991, but Rabat recently scored a few diplomatic wins, such as the United States move to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the territory in late 2020. On Nov. 1, three Algerian citizens were killed in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. The warlike contest, if it were to take place, would be limited to the use of navy, aviation or ground defence to attack the adversary's positions from a distance. Hostilities between Morocco and Algeria have taken on a new dimension in recent months, especially over the Western Sahara question. That's why debates like Goku vs. Superman, Link vs. The rivalry between Morocco and Algeria exemplified in the Sand War also influenced Algeria's policy regarding the conflict in Western Sahara, with Algeria backing an independence-minded Sahrawi guerrilla organization, the Polisario Front, partly to curb Moroccan expansionism in the wake of the attempt to annex Tindouf. That is what we believe will change the continent, and that is what we report on. The movement, led by the newly formed FLN, issued a leaflet stating that its aim was to restore a sovereign Algerian state. - Some of these stepping stones to armed conflict have already been completed: severance of diplomatic relations; total cooling of economic and trade relations; cancellation of contracts of joint ventures operating in both countries; suspension of the bilateral contract for the joint use of the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline linking Algeria-Morocco-Spain and Portugal; ban on Moroccan civilian and military flights over Algerian airspace; cancellation of international meetings of a multilateral nature in which both countries could be present (absence of the Moroccan and Algerian ministers at the Union for the Mediterranean meeting in Barcelona; suspension of the Russia-Arab World meeting in Marrakesh, to which the Algerian minister was invited; harsh dialectical clashes between the two diplomacies in various United Nations forums). [5] The demilitarized zone was maintained in the meantime, monitored by the OAU's first multinational peacekeeping force. List of wars involving Morocco and the former entities that ruled the current Morocco. Progress on the issue has been at a standstill ever since Morocco and the Polisario Front signed a cease-fire agreement in 1991, but Rabat recently scored a few diplomatic wins, such as the United States' move to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the territory in late 2020. Non- profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.================Chapters :0:00 Primary Information01:16 Land Power02:48 Air Power04:14 Naval Power05:15 End Attention These results are not 100% accurate. The published content of the pages contained herein is unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse in any form. In reality, Morocco, playing on its Arab and Muslim membership on the one hand the Sherifian monarch being legitimate on the religious level acts as the EUs good pupil in the Maghreb by adhering to its principles and maintaining cordial relations with European countries. The killing of thethree drivers on a desert road is the latest peak in a series ofgrowing tensionsbetween the two Maghreb states that support opposite sides of the dispute over the Western Sahara territory, a former Spanish colony. Relations between Morocco and Algeria are historically difficult and cold. Moreover, the two countries had already engaged in open warfare in 1963. Even in regions where Ben Bella's regime remained deeply unpopular, such as Kabylie, the population offered to take up arms against the Moroccan invaders. Dubbed North Africa's new 'Cold War', the tensions between Morocco and neighboring Algeria threaten to escalate and the consequences of this have a lot more to do with Western meddling in the affairs of the two countries than meets the eye. Algiers is seeking to reassert its weight in the region after several years of retreat that had left the way open for Rabats influence at the regional and international levels. [23], Weeks of skirmishes along the border eventually escalated into a full-blown confrontation on September 25, 1963, with intense fighting around the oasis towns of Tindouf and Figuig. Beyond the vast opportunity manifest in African markets, we highlight people who make a difference; leaders turning the tide, youth driving change, and an indefatigable business community. It resulted largely from the Moroccan government's claim to portions of Algeria's Tindouf and Bchar provinces. Reduced to these realistic proportions, such a policy may seem feasible. Algerian foreign minister Ramtane Lamamra announced the severing of diplomatic relations with Morocco over what he termed as successive aggressive steps. Rabat turns to US and French suppliers, while Algiers sticks with Russian-made military goods. Complete the form and download, for free, the highlights from The Africa Reports Exclusive Ranking of Africas top 200 banks from last year. For Algiers, this issue is a matter of decolonization and the prevalence of the right of peoples to self-determination, enshrined by the United Nations since its creation in 1945. ", Ukraine updates: Russian attack causes injuries, damage, Ukraine: Russian troops edge closer to taking Bakhmut, Ukraine's counteroffensive: Goals, opportunities, risks. Tensions between the two neighboring North African countries have been growing, and Algeria's rhetoric points towards an armed conflict. It was, therefore, disinclined to support Morocco's historical claims to Tindouf and Bechar or the concept of a Greater Morocco. Algeria accused Rabat of inciting Tel Aviv against it. [39] After the four leaders met alone on October 30, a truce was declared. Only the last of these leads to the outbreak of hostilities, because once the machinery of war has been set in motion, turning back becomes very difficult, if not impossible. [39] Finally, the accord suggested an immediate gathering of the Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Let the Morocco and Algeria see who is more powerful. About: GlobalFirepower.com is an annually-updated, statistics-based website tracking defense-related information of 145 nations and exists as a wholly-independent resource. Moroccos King Mohammed VI called for the restoration of diplomatic ties with Algeria. Neither army is in a position to sustain a ground incursion into the other for long, except for small incursions into the border area. [38] The United Nations received many pleas to issue a ceasefire appeal, but Secretary-General U Thant wanted to allow regional initiatives to pursue a solution. It doesn't have the capability to handle both at the same time," Gower said. Known Issues High idle power has situationally been observed when using select high-resolution and high refresh rate displays on Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs. READ MORE This year's AU could work to Morocco's advantage over Western Sahara. In this video, we have compared the military of the two countries. . On 1 November, the 67th anniversary of the outbreak of the Algerian War of Independence, three Algerian truck drivers, who were travelling between Nouakchott and Ouargla, were killed in an attack that Algiers attributed to Moroccan forces. The Sand War or the Sands War (Arabic: , romanized:arb ar-Riml) was a border conflict between Algeria and Morocco in October 1963. - Secondly, in order for the war to come to a confrontation, there are several stages to go through. The Sand War led to heightened tensions between the two countries for several decades. [21], In 1956 France relinquished its protectorate in Morocco, which immediately demanded the return of the disputed departments, especially Tindouf. An unwritten dissuasive consensus united the two regimes, Algerian and Moroccan, not to use Kabylia and the Rif as an extension in their conflict over Western Sahara. Omar Hilales comments immediately aroused the ire of the Algerian media and the Algerian political class, of all stripes, who defended in unison the territorial unity of the country and castigated the Moroccan willingness to annex Western Sahara by force. The conflict was a Cold War theater: Algeria was . [23] Morocco finally abandoned all claims to Algerian territory in 1972 with the Accord of Ifrane, though Morocco refused to ratify the agreement until 1989.[43]. They defeated the local tribesmen at the Battle of Taghit and the Battle of El-Moungar, although they didn't directly annex the region into French Algeria. [26], The Algerian military, recently formed from the guerrilla ranks of the FLN's Arme de Libration Nationale (ALN), was still oriented towards asymmetric warfare, and had few heavy weapons. As for Algeria, it is, also, an important partner of the European Union, but it is deeply marked by its history of a long period of French colonization (1830-1962). Thus, the tone rises again between the North African brothers who have historically always maintained a stormy relationship. Backed by neighbouring Algeria, the Polisario waged a guerrilla war until the . READ MORE Morocco/Algeria : Tensions on the rise after Algerian show mocks the King. (L to R) Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia, Hassan II, king of Morocco, Modibo Keita, president of Mali and Ahmed Ben Bella, president of Algeria, leaving African Unity summit in Addis Ababa. The battle between Morocco and Algeria is for "leadership in the region." the paper's sources said, adding that Algeria "must implement a more aggressive diplomatic strategy." "Over the. Morocco's e-visa success: more than 80,000 issued in just a few months, Migration stories: Brazil relocation a synonym for hope for Venezuelan migrants, The unequal distribution of wealth: an open scar in Libya, Explosions and gunfire in Khartoum on first day of new 72-hour truce, Bodour al-Qasimi commences International Booksellers Conference calling for industry-wide sustainability initiatives, Cristaldo's Adventures in the Imperial Chancellery, Emirates suffers disappointment with Rashid and satisfaction with Sultan al-Neyadi, The Polisario Front police arrest a young Spaniard in the refugee camps, The continuing Morocco-Algeria crisis will eventually spill over to Spain in 2021, Morocco and Algeria engage in an arms race in the face of rising tensions, Paraguay resists being engulfed by red tide, European Union: first law on crypto-assets. Three factors contributed to the outbreak of this conflict: the absence of a precise delineation of the border between Algeria and Morocco, the discovery of important mineral resources in the disputed area, and the Moroccan irredentism fueled by the Greater Morocco[9] ideology of the Istiqlal Party and Allal al-Fassi.[10]. Despite the fact that important sectors of public opinion and political groups are opposed to the outbreak of hostilities, in the event of conflict it is foreseeable that there will be "patriotic unity for the defence of the country". o The media campaigns being waged in both countries, laden with accusations and insults, are more about the need to divert public attention from the real internal problems that exist in each country, caused by the effects of the pandemic, the growing socio-economic difficulties or the poor management of the economy, which is one hundred percent dependent on oil in the Algerian case, and on tourism and agriculture in the Moroccan case. Please enable Javascript in order to access to this story. It is, moreover, the Moroccan proximity to Israel which the Pegasus spying affair has only made more likely that has fuelled pro-government propaganda in Algeria during the fires. This is part two of a five-part series. This was only the latest episode in a process of escalation between the two countries. According to the investigation by the Forbidden Stories Consortium and Amnesty International, about 6,000 Algerian phone numbers including some belonging to senior political, military, and intelligence officials, including current Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, as well as the current and former army chief of staff were identified as targets of the Pegasus software, which was marketed by the Israeli company NSO in 2019. Algiers denounced on August 18, 2021, the incessant hostile acts perpetrated by Morocco against Algeria. The desire to adopt the European model is such that Morocco even went so far as to apply for membership in the European Union in 1984. In response, Algeria denounced foreign maneuvers aimed at destabilizing it, citing a real desire to attack Algeria through the arrival of the Zionist entity at its doorstep. Morocco is more liberal and attached to Europe. Western Sahara is an integral part of Morocco for Rabat. The severance of diplomatic relations with Morocco announced on August 24, 2021, came against a backdrop of vulnerability for the Algerian regime, which has not stopped denouncing plots against Algeria since the Arab revolts of 2011. Nabil Adghoghi, the first advisor to the Mission of the Kingdom of Morocco to the European Union, confirms that the foreign policy of the Sherifian Kingdom is anchored in Europe with a marked economic openness. According to Rabat, which controls 80% of the natural resources (fishing, phosphate) of this vast area, Western Sahara is an autonomous territory according to the UN, in the absence of a final settlement of the conflict. This agreement wasmuch to Algeria's dismay as it has been a firm supporter of the local Polisario Front with the Sahrawi group that seeks independence for the region. She believes that neither side can really afford to push the envelope too far. [23] Terms of this agreement included a reaffirmation of the previously established borders in Algeria's favor and restoration of the status quo. This resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Algeria's ill-equipped. There is no longer any question today of establishing institutional links between the three major countries i.e. Algerians, who are generally not very receptive to the bellicose rhetoric of the two regimes, did not appreciate the December 2020 restoration of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel in exchange for Donald Trumps recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. I think the Moroccans would win do their larger military force, the portuges. In this video, I have compared the air and naval forces of both countries with you================ Arabic : . Of course, the race for regional hegemony remains a major motive for both countries. However, Morocco's ONEE was quick to assure in a statement that "the decision announced by the Algerian authorities not to renew the agreement on the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline will currently have only a minimal impact on the performance of the national electricity system.". A presidential statement confirms that Tebboune had given the order to not renew the contract "in light of the hostile behavior of the (Moroccan) kingdom which undermines national unity.". While Tebboune has been upfront that his country would go to war with Morocco, both experts believe that there is actually little reason to fear an armed conflict at the moment. [27] Its logistics was also complicated by its vast array of largely obsolete weapons from a number of diverse sources, including France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and the United States. The Algerian government is taking this case particularly seriously since it is firmly opposed to any desire for independence from Kabylia, an Amazigh/ Berber-speaking region in northeast Algeria. The review of relations referred to in the HCS statement risks including restoration of travel visas between the two countries and a reduction in economic cooperation at a time when both markets need more opportunities. Tensions between Algeria and Morocco were at their highest this past summer. [8] About 57 Moroccans and 379 Algerians were taken prisoner. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says in a statement his country is ready for any dialogue but asked Morocco to first clarify to Algeria its position on the speech of the Moroccan representative at the UN regarding the Kabylie region. For decades, Algeria and Morocco have been at loggerheads over the Western Sahara conflict between the Polisario Front independence fighters, who proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in 1976 supported by Algeria since the departure of the former Spanish colonial power in 1975 and Morocco, which currently administers and occupies this former colony, considering it an integral part of the Sherifian kingdom. o The impossibility of successful international mediation. who would win a war between morocco and algeria. Besides, he is currently a political analyst with Moroccan, American, Gulf, French, Italian and British media on politics and culture in the Middle East, Islamism and religious terrorism. Called the War of the Sands, this war refers to the attack of the Algerian army on Moroccan troops which caused the death of 12 Moroccan soldiers. Get full access to The Africa Report on all your devices. Rising tensions between the two countries could tarnish the picture in the eyes of the international community, or at least raise its concern. [39] The meeting would be held to set up a commission to determine who was responsible for starting the war and to examine the frontier question and suggest methods for bringing about a lasting settlement of the conflict. The Algerian authorities no longer see Morocco as a rival but as a potential enemy, seeking to destabilize a regime already weakened by an economy damaged by the fall in the price of oil in 2014 and by a political situation that has been at a standstill since the emergence of the Hirakin February 2019, a peaceful movement demanding a democratic transition. Moroccos hostile acts would thus indirectly be the arson that caused 92 deaths and thousands of displaced persons in the country between August 9 and 16, 2021 even if the material evidence of such accusations is of course absent. No official source takes a clear position on the military crusade, either for or against. They will therefore do everything to avoid pressure from the international community. King Mohammed's son, King Hassan II, who succeeded him, made claims over Algerian territory. Algeria said it repelled Moroccan ambitions for land on the border, while Rabat said it retaliated against the border provocations of the Egyptian-backed Algerian army. The Western Sahara conflict. Foreign chancelleries in the two capitals of the central Maghreb, Rabat and Algiers, are insistently questioning the possibility of war between Algeria and Morocco, which some believe could break out in 2022. Although this war ended in a cease-fire permitted by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) under the proposal of Malian President Modibo KETA, the resulting enmity remained a problem that hindered the establishment of peace in the region since. Why is Netflix pouring billions into South Korean shows? This view is echoed by Sonja Hegasy who is convinced that "both countries don't have any interest in waging a war on this conflict, so the most realistic scenario is that the bilateral relations are going to continue to stagnate. [39] It was also determined that an Ethiopian and Malian team would observe the neutrality of the demilitarized zone. Rabat denied the accusations but Algiers demanded that the former provides evidence. Please use the following structure: example@domain.com, Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition. He has taught in the past some courses in universities in the USA, Spain, France, Italy, England and Greece. The 10% cut of energy supply is a setback for Morocco as well, since the country has to import about 95% of its energy. And it does not help that Algiers embarked on an anything but brotherly arms race some 15 years ago that spurred Rabat to do the same, with Algeria buying up Russian-made military gear and Morocco turning to Western weapons suppliers. . The Golden State Warriors will head to the Target Center in Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, March 1. October 1963: Algeria and Morocco confronted each other militarily over a border dispute in the so-called Sand War in October 1963 following Algeria's independence on July 5, 1962.
Jason Wade And Wife,
Accident In Burnsville, Mn Today,
Que Significa Sentir Olor A Vinagre En La Casa,
Harlingen Election Results,
Why Did My Ex Gf Unfollow Me,
Articles W