Rabat – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Algeria on March 30 was characterized by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s anti Moroccan rhetoric.
A large chunk of the president’s remarks when he met the US diplomat was dedicated to claims of Moroccan aggression while recounting the history between the two countries..
Tebboune mentioned for example the “Moroccan attack” on Algeria in 1965, citing it as something he saw leading to ongoing aggression for decades.
The president also focused on the Western Sahara dispute, claiming a failure on Morocco’s part to abide by international commitments in the dispute.
“Our position is towards Western Sahara – not towards Morocco – and everyone knows that this has always been our approach,” he added.
The statements are in line with a trend in Algerian foreign policy discourse that has consistently claimed aggression from the Moroccan side.
Tebboune’s statements omit some important context in the history of the two countries’ relations, including for instance the expulsion of 45,000 Moroccans from Algeria after the Green March.
The expulsion which occurred on the first day of Eid Al-Adha in 1975 remains unacknowledged by Algeria.
Organizations such as The International Collective in Support of Families of Moroccan Families from Algeria (CIEMA) have been calling for a change of this status quo.
Morocco’s relations with Algeria have been sour for decades now, with the borders between the two countries being closed since 1994.
Recent years have especially seen escalation of rhetoric from Algeria, particularly as developments in the Western Sahara dispute have started to go in Morocco’s favor.
Last year saw several claims from Algeria about alleged aggression from Morocco, including accusations of starting wildfires in the country.
Algeria also unilaterally ended the diplomatic relations between it and Morocco last year and has since refused any dialogue with Morocco, causing tensions to gradually escalate further.
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