Former Tunisian President Warns of Growing Rift Between Maghreb Nations

"In my father’s generation, there was no difference between a Tunisian, an Algerian and a Moroccan. They were part of the same student union in North Africa and were present everywhere, whether in the Arab Mashreq or in Europe. They formed one people and one political movement," recalled Moncef Marzouki, a guest on the Al Magharibia channel. This era is over. "Today, I fear that the new generations will become enemies of each other. What I see on social networks between Algerians and Moroccans is unimaginable. We have reached frightening levels of conflict and animosity," lamented the former Tunisian president.

Marzouki has not lost all hope in the Maghreb youth, however. He called on them not to give up the ideal of a Maghreb union and to continue to defend the principles of the "five freedoms" including freedom of movement, work, property, residence and participation in local elections, which he had proposed when he was president of Tunisia, to relaunch regional integration. "The region has an urgent need for this union and the division between the Maghreb countries is unacceptable, given the great similarity between their peoples," he affir