Algeria: forests burn, Moroccan aid remains taboo
Violent fires have ravaged vast forest areas in several Algerian wilayas in recent days. As the flames have approached certain inhabited areas, the possibility of Moroccan aerial assistance has returned to the debate.
The Algerian authorities have mobilized their resources in an attempt to bring the fires under control, amid fears that the deadly disasters recorded in recent years could be repeated. The question of the capabilities available to carry out rapid aerial interventions has once again arisen.
On Bladi.net : article 103260
Ahmed Nourredine, a specialist in Maghreb affairs, accuses Algerian leaders of rejecting the support of Moroccan Canadairs for political considerations. In a statement to Al3omk, he believes that the rivalry with Rabat would prevent any cooperation, even when populations are at risk.
The political rupture even in the skies
Morocco had already offered its assistance to Algeria during the 2021 fires, making two Canadair aircraft available. This offer was not accepted, against a backdrop of sharply deteriorating relations between the two countries.
Ahmed Nourredine also recalls that Moroccan aircraft have been mobilized for the benefit of other neighboring or partner states, notably Spain and Portugal. He sees this as proof that the resources exist, but that their use in Algeria remains blocked by the diplomatic rupture.
On Bladi.net : article 103669
According to him, accepting a Moroccan intervention would weaken the Algerian discourse on « regional power » and contradict the accusations made against Rabat following the Kabylie fires in 2021.