Algeria has severed all diplomatic ties with Morocco, citing “hostile actions” from its neighbour. Algeria also blamed Morocco’s establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel and its alleged role in sparking the wildfires in Algeria earlier this month for the move.
On Tuesday, Algerian Foreign Minister (FM) Ramtane Lamamra said, “Algeria has decided to break its diplomatic relations with Morocco as from today.” Speaking at a press conference in Algiers, Lamamra said the move was made in part due to Morocco establishing formal ties with Israel in 2020, as part of the Abraham Accords, and its decision to advance diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv earlier this month.
Lamara referred to a trip made by Israeli FM Yair Lapid to Rabat this month, where Lapid expressed concern over “the role played by Algeria in the region” and its closeness to Iran, whom Israel considers a major threat to its security. Lamamra called the Israel-Morocco bonhomie “unacceptable” and said, “Algeria refuses to submit” to such behaviours. “Algeria refuses to endure reprehensible behaviour and acts [...] Algeria refuses a unilateral fait accompli with disastrous consequences for the peoples of the Maghreb,” he added. Algeria does not recognise Israel and often refers to it as the “Zionist entity” in official statements.
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The Algerian diplomat also accused Morocco of supporting two organisations that allegedly sparked the deadly wildfires that ravaged Algeria’s northern region. Last week, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said the wildfires were “hostile acts perpetrated by Morocco and its ally, the Zionist entity [Israel], against Algeria.” He added that the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabyle (MAK) and the Islamist Rachad movement, both labelled terrorist organisations by the Algerian government, carried out the acts.
Moreover, Lamamra accused Morocco of using the Pegasus spyware linked to Israeli company NSO Group against Algerian officials. He also noted that Rabat had failed to keep its bilateral commitments with Algiers, including on the issue of Western Sahara. “The Moroccan kingdom has never stopped its hostile actions against Algeria,” Lamamra said.
In response, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry stated that it regretted Algeria’s “completely unjustified but expected decision” and said it would remain a “credible and loyal partner” to the Algerian people. “Morocco categorically rejects the fallacious, even absurd, pretexts underlying it,” the statement read. It added that Morocco “will continue to act, with wisdom and responsibility, for the development of healthy and fruitful inter-Maghreb relations.”
Morocco regrets this completely unjustified but expected decision - in view of the logic of escalation noted in recent weeks - as well as its impact on the Algerian people. Morocco categorically rejects the fallacious, even absurd, pretexts underlying it.
— Moroccan Diplomacy 🇲🇦 (@Marocdiplo_EN) August 24, 2021
Algeria and Morocco have had sour relations for years, especially over the Western Sahara dispute. Rabat has accused Algiers of supporting the Polisario Front, which seeks to liberate disputed Western Sahara from Moroccan “occupation.” Algeria has provided the Polisario Front with arms, political support, and financial aid in its decades-long conflict with Morocco and hosts the Front’s chief, Brahim Ghali.
On the other hand, Morocco has a history of backing Algeria’s Berber minority and their quest for independence. As a result, Morocco supports the organisations that aim to liberate the Berber’s Kabyle region from Algeria and create an independent state for the Berbers.