Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Algerian political analyst Oualid Kebir has accused Algeria’s regime of orchestrating “vile schemes” targeting Morocco’s security and stability.
Kebir, who lives in Morocco, said that there is a “proven involvement’ of Algeria’s regime amid initially peaceful protests that quickly turned into violent riots across Moroccan cities.
He accused Algeria of spreading rumors and “incitement by paid electronic armies affiliated with the ruling military clique in Algeria” to exploit peaceful demonstrations in which Moroccan youth raised legitimate demands, such as access to quality healthcare and quality education.
Kebir urged caution, saying he himself would be temporarily and completely blocking access to his page from inside Algeria to “cut off hostile electronic trolls and tools of disinformation.”
He said he will also temporarily suspend the comments section on his page to protect his media platform from any malicious exploitation or hacking to safeguard his stance in support of Morocco against what he described as an obvious disinformation campaign by the Algerian regime to destabilize Morocco.
Kebir also called on Moroccan social media pages and platforms as well as official websites to take similar steps, arguing that the goal of such cautious gestures is to close exploitable digital avenues to Morocco’s “adversaries and thwart their desperate attempts to destabilize the country.”
The Algerian analyst also reiterated full solidarity with demands raised by Moroccan youths, stating that the Algerian regime’s “pitiful attempts” to instrumentalize the legitimate grievances of young Moroccans will not undermine the “resolve of this proud people nor the unity of this blessed land.”
Kebir is not the first to suspect Algera’s involvement in the unexpectedly violent turn of protests that have swept major Moroccan cities and provinces over the past week. Other observers have also pointed to the Algerian-backed separatist Polisario Front’s potential involvement in disseminating fake news and inciting rioting and vandalism against Morocco.
When the protests erupted over the weekend, young people initially took to the streets to peacefully broadcast their demands for change in a wide range of essential sectors, notably including education and healthcare.
This week, however, the protests turned violent after many young people engaged in vandalism and rioting, targeting local businesses and private as well as public institutions like banks.
In response, Morocco’s security services have vowed to “take all necessary measures” to ensure safety and public order. A group of young people on Wednesday attempted to break into a gendarmerie post in Al Qliaa in the Souss-Massa region to take weapons and ammunition, local authorities said in a statement. Security services opened fire, killing two after tear gas failed to repel the attackers, the statement added.
