Moroccan Workers in Algeria Unfazed by Diplomatic Rift with Morocco

"I do my work. I don’t get involved in politics. I’m looking for my livelihood and I know I have nothing to fear when I stay straight," says Miloud, a mason by profession who is currently working in Kabylie, a region in northern Algeria recently ravaged by deadly fires. Algiers has accused Rabat and Tel Aviv of being responsible. This is also one of the reasons that led Algeria to break its relations with Morocco.

Miloud, who has been living in Algeria for two years, prefers to stay away from the tensions between the two countries. He says he feels at home. "There is no difference between the two peoples. I have never had a problem here and I admit I have no fear," he says.

The number of Moroccans living in Algeria is estimated at more than 500,000. Under the presidency of Houari Boumediene, more than 350,000 Moroccans were sent back due to the breakdown of relations between the two countries. A breakdown caused by disagreements on the Sahara issue. In 1979, Morocco had expelled more than 300,000 Algerians. In 1994, the closure of the border between the two countries led to the expulsion of about one million Algerian tourists.

Omar, another Moroccan living in Algeria, remains calm in the face of the new breakdown of relations between Rabat and Algiers. However, he expresses some apprehensions. "My accent is perfectly Algerian, I’ve been living here for 20 years," says this plasterer by profession. "For now, I feel good, I just hope it will last."