France now more than ever needs to review its foreign policy in the Maghreb and strengthen its ties with its partners in the region, in a particular context marked by tensions with Morocco over visas and the Sahara, and the recent visit of Emmanuel Macron to Algeria.
In Morocco, many school textbooks containing maps of the kingdom amputated of the Sahara are on the program in French high schools.
Algeria, a supporter of the Polisario against Morocco, believes that the organization of round tables to resolve the Sahara conflict has proven "counterproductive" and makes a proposal to the UN special envoy, Staffan de Mistura .
After resigning from the presidency of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), Ahmed Raissouni announced his definitive withdrawal from the organization.
The Polisario Front believes that Spain’s decision to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara "complicates everything," in the sense that it does not contribute to a solution to the conflict.
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs still keeps secret the letter from Pedro Sanchez addressed on March 14 to King Mohammed VI in which he expressed his support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara.
France’s refusal to issue visas to Moroccans has completed the deterioration of diplomatic relations between the two countries, already cooled after the Pegasus affair.
Relations between Algeria and Morocco have remained tense for nearly six decades due to their respective interests in controlling the Sahara.
Algeria has asked Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for the Sahara, on a mission in the region, not to land on its territory with the military aircraft provided by Spain, which has already recognized the Moroccanness of the Sahara.
Morocco is considering building a new military base in the north of the kingdom, near the city of Al Hoceima, to host "air defense units and systems".
Morad is facing strong criticism since the publication of a recent video on TikTok in which he expressed his support for King Mohammed VI on the Sahara issue.
For a year, Algeria has cut ties with Morocco, notably over the Sahara issue. The tensions between the two countries are far from subsiding.