French Geopolitical Expert Faces Backlash Over Praise for Morocco’s COVID-19 Response

Pascal Boniface has, in a tweet, denounced the attacks he is the subject of. His video on Covid-19 in the Maghreb, in which he appreciated the measures taken by Morocco, earned him attacks from Algeria accusing him of being on the kingdom’s payroll. He thinks these attacks are the work of "mercenaries".

In the video, the French geopolitician demonstrated that in the Maghreb, Morocco is positioning itself as the country that has adopted the best response to Covid-19. The kingdom is positioning itself "as a good partner of the North" by exporting masks to European countries, and as a "reliable partner" for African countries, with King Mohammed VI’s initiative for Africa, explained Pascal Boniface. He also mentioned the kingdom’s aid to the various economic players, to enable them to cope with the economic consequences of the crisis. Curiously, Pascal Boniface is not the first to appreciate the management of Covid-19 by the kingdom. Morocco has been cited by the international press and France as a model to follow.

Regarding the situation in Algeria, Pascal Boniface stated that Covid-19 has struck a country already in full economic crisis due to the oil shock. President Tebboune and the Algerian authorities have taken advantage of the lockdown and the Hirak to "intensify repression" on the media and journalists, he said. A trend confirmed by an analysis note from the Jean Jaurès Foundation which stressed that the Algerian regime will take advantage of the crisis to repress and censor the press.

Faced with the destitution of the health system, a great tragedy awaits the 43 million inhabitants of Algeria, notes the Jean Jaurès Foundation note. The note mentions the dilapidation and deterioration of hospitals, the glaring lack of resources, the insufficient health personnel and the under-equipment of hospital laboratories.