Rabat – Algeria’s regime held a “council of war” on Monday to discuss a potential “direct confrontation” with Morocco.
In a report about the alarm-raising meeting, Maghreb Intelligence quoted sources as saying that Algeria’s “first war council” convened the “most important [personalities] of the country’s army.”
The report added: “Contrary to what has been affirmed by the Algeria Presidency and other media, the meeting chaired by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is not a simple meeting of the High-Security Council.”
Quoting Algerian sources with first-hand knowledge of the council’s discussions, the report indicated that the high-profile meeting was organized to “officially study the scenario of a direct confrontation” with Morocco’s army.
‘A clear message to Morocco’
These claims were further supported by Algerian journalist Abdou Semmar, who lives in exile in France.
Describing the meeting as unprecedented, Semmar told his YouTube followers that the “war council” was reserved exclusively for high-ranking military officials.
“It excluded civilian and government officials. Even foreign affairs minister Ramtane Lamamra did not attend. This is an unprecedented meeting. Algeria did not hold a similar meeting for 30 years,” he said.
The Algerian journalist, who is also the editor-in-chief of the news outlet Algerie Part, went on to add that the meeting aimed to serve as a “clear message to Morocco” that the Algerian army is “officially preparing for scenarios of direct confrontations at the level of its borders with the Moroccan armed forces.”
The news comes amid mounting fears of further escalations between Algeria and Morocco, with the long-running political stalemate between the two neighbors hitting a new low after the Algerian government announced cutting all ties with Morocco in August 2021.
In justification of its unilateral escalation of the long-simmering tensions with Morocco, the Algerian regime unconvincingly accused Rabat of conspiring to destabilize Algeria and undermine Algerian interests.
Algeria made these accusations despite Morocco’s repeated calls for a “frank dialogue” to break the decades-long political stalemate between the two neighbors and preserve regional peace and security.
In particular, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI had long signaled Rabat’s readiness to open a new chapter with Algiers and work toward preserving shared interests.
While land borders between the two neighbors have been closed since 1994, Algeria killed years-long hopes of an eventual opening of the borders when it decided to also close its airspace to Morocco in 2021.
Last month, the Algerian regime notably refused to allow the Moroccan national team to participate in the African Nations Championship (CHAN).
Adding insult to injury, however, was Algeria’s invitation of Nelson Mandel’s grandson, Zwelivelile Mandela, to heap opprobrium on Morocco and challenge the country’s territorial integrity in a particularly damning speech during the tournament’s opening ceremony.
