Morocco is seeking stronger ties with Libya amid a downfall in relations with Algeria. On Thursday, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita received Abdullah Al-Lafi, the Vice President of the Libyan Presidential Council, in Rabat and said that Morocco is “keen” to maintain “strong ties” with Libya.
Bourita said the meeting aimed to bolster bilateral ties between the two North African countries and affirm “the very strong and deep ties that bind the two brotherly peoples.” He also underscored Moroccan King Mohammed VI’s support for the current political dispensation of Libya and said, “I conveyed to the Vice President of the Libyan Presidency Council that His Majesty the King is keen to maintain these strong ties between the two people.”
Moreover, Bourita reiterated Morocco’s support for the Libyan democratic process and noted that “Morocco will accompany the Libyan efforts” to find a political solution to the crisis. He said, “Morocco will always stand with Libya, supporting its efforts and those of the international community, without any interference or agenda except security and stability of this country.”
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Bourita also stressed the importance of “dialogue and negotiation” in resolving all issues. He said that conducting elections is an important step towards establishing a legitimate Libyan government.
For his part, Al-Lafi welcomed Morocco’s “key role” in the Libyan peace process and thanked the country for “promoting dialogue and consensus” between Libyans. Additionally, Al-Lafi said the Libyan and Moroccan commissions would be meeting next week “to settle all the problems” of obtaining visas. “Surely this commission will play a positive role to alleviate the suffering for both the Libyan and Moroccan people,” he noted.
Since the assassination of long-time Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya has seen cycles of violence that have seen the involvement of the Islamic State and a number of external actors, including Turkey and Russia. The latest fighting involved Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) troops and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA).
Last year, the GNA and LNA reached a ceasefire to end the conflict and moved towards establishing a government. In March, the GNA was replaced by the Government of National Unity as the new executive through a United Nations-led process.
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The Bourita-Al-Lafi meet comes amid deteriorating ties between Morocco and Algeria, which neighbours both Rabat and Tripoli. This week, Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco over the Western Sahara dispute, its ties with Israel, and its alleged role in sparking Algeria’s wildfires earlier this month. In this regard, the Libyan Foreign Ministry called on both sides to “exercise restraint [and] avoid further escalation.”
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.