Algerian President’s Maghreb Unity Call Raises Hopes, Skepticism on Morocco-Algeria Relations

"Due to the current void, in the absence of common Maghreb action," it has been decided to "organize Maghreb meetings without excluding any party," said the Algerian president during a periodic interview with local media representatives on March 31. Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s wish is that "this space be a beneficial initiative for the countries of the region by gathering and unifying their voices on the issues that concern them, all the more so as we share almost the same problems." "This bloc is not directed against any other state and the door is open to the countries of the region," he added, hammering that it is "unacceptable" to isolate anyone. In early March, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya met in Algiers to discuss the feasibility of the project.

Regarding the Sahara issue, the Algerian leader indicated that it is "a just cause registered on the UN agenda". He will however nuance that its settlement "is not directed against our brothers in Morocco or anyone else, but it is a question of decolonization". And to argue: "If we use reason instead of threat and force, we will reach a solution". Tebboune says he does not want to delve further into the "Arab division". An unusual response from an Algerian official. The Sahara issue remains one of the points of friction between Morocco and Algeria, which unilaterally severed its diplomatic relations with its neighbor in August 2021. While its protégé, the Polisario, is fighting for "the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination" through a referendum, Morocco proposes an autonomy plan under its sovereignty. A proposal supported by many countries including the United States, Spain, Germany and Israel.

These statements by the Algerian president are seen as a message of hope by Moroccans and Algerians who wish for the thawing of the crisis between the two countries and the reopening of the Zouj Bghal borders. "I hope it will end soon. I miss my family there. I haven’t seen them in two years since they stopped the (direct) flights," Khadija, from the Moroccan border town of Oujda, told The New Arab media. She regularly comes to the borders, but ends up leaving in tears because she says she feels "powerless".

According to some analysts, the Algerian president’s statements could be just another false hope for the long-awaited reconciliation between the two states. "It is unlikely that the two states will change their diplomatic strategies in the coming years," said Professor Said Saddiki. To support his argument, he claims that Algeria and Morocco are now competing for regional leadership. The only way for regional leaders to end this lingering crisis is to find "compatible dialogue paths and judiciously manage historically charged differences," the academic believes.