Between Morocco and Algeria, Emmanuel Macron chooses his camp

Emmanuel Macron wants to normalize relations with Morocco. In the logical continuation of his recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara, a decision that has helped to ease tensions with the kingdom, the French president has been on a three-day state visit to Rabat since Monday. By opting for a warming of his bilateral relations with Morocco, Macron is indirectly renouncing a normalization of his relations with Algeria, analyzes L’Opinion.

Between Rabat and Algiers, the French president has finally made a choice, after years of tensions with Morocco, particularly over the Sahara and visa issues, and an unsuccessful attempt at rapprochement with Algeria. "Every French presidential term begins in Algiers and ends in Rabat," French diplomats had predicted.

Macron had announced the colors of his policy towards Algeria, long before his election in 2017. During a trip to Algiers, the then presidential candidate had described colonization as a "crime against humanity." Words that had caused an uproar. The French president had then tried to clarify his idea, affirming his determination to "rebuild" relations with Algiers, to "reconcile the memories."

Once elected, the president has taken strong actions in this direction (laying of wreaths in memory of the martyrs of the war of independence at the Martyrs’ Memorial in Algiers in December 2021, apologies to the harkis in September 2021, recognition in October of the same year of the massacre of Algerian demonstrators in 1961), but in return, Algeria shows no interest. Annoyed, Macron changes his posture, describing the Algerian regime at the end of 2021 as a "politico-military system built on the memorial rent."

In the end, Paris is renewing its ties with Morocco, a country in which it made its first visit to Africa in June 2017. With this state visit to Rabat, Macron, who has incurred the wrath of Algiers by recognizing the Moroccanness of the Sahara last July, shows his firm commitment to restore his relations with Rabat. The French president has also reaffirmed his position on the Sahara, on Tuesday during his speech before the parliament.