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Rabat – Abdelilah Benkirane, the leader of Morocco’s Justice and Development Party (PJD), has addressed Algeria’s regime, urging it to engage in talks with Morocco, open borders, and work on unity projects to tackle potential challenges affecting the whole region.
Benkirane made his remarks on Sunday, in a PJD event marking the 82nd anniversary of the presentation of Morocco’s Independence Manifesto.
In his speech, Benkirane pointed to the aging Algerian military chief, Said Chengriha, describing him as “old,” while expressing hope that Algeria’s future leaders and elites would work to mend ties with Morocco.
“The people who govern hold this idea, thinking that every dispute with Morocco works in Algeria’s favor… You have seen with your own eyes that people are now being kidnapped from inside their homes,” Benkirane said, while indirectly referring to the US-Maduro case.
For Benkirane, the situation requires unity and solidarity. The PJD leader clarified that he does not call for Algeria and Morocco to become “one state, but at the very least, we need to bring our policies closer together, especially foreign policy and defense.”
The politician emphasized that his remarks do not mean he supports “sedition” in Algeria or a coup, but added that “the situation has grown large…May God guide them to return to the right path and restore relations with Morocco and neighboring countries and open the borders.”
Benkirane emphasized that Algeria’s regime has issues not only with Morocco but also other countries.
Land borders between Morocco and Algeria have been closed since 1994 due to political tensions, including Algiers’ hostility towards Rabat’s territorial integrity.
Algeria supports Polisario, a separatist group claiming independence in Western Sahara, to challenge Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in the region.
Algeria’s regime continues to host, arm, finance, and support the Polisario’s outdated claims and narratives, a stance it has been taking for years.
Meanwhile, the regime refuses to shoulder responsibility in the dispute, portraying itself as a mere observer of the dispute.
Resolution 2797, passed on October 31, 2025, officially challenged Algeria’s claims — identifying the regime as a main party to the dispute – urging it to take part in roundtable talks and engage in the UN-led political process to contribute to finding a mutually acceptable political solution to end the dispute.
Algeria’s regime also continues to turn a deaf ear to Morocco’s calls for dialogue. For several years, King Mohammed VI has called on Algeria’s regime to engage in frank and direct talks to end the political stalemate between the two countries.
Beyond the land borders, Algeria also closed its airspace with Morocco in 2021, when President Tebboune announced his decision to cut ties with Rabat, blaming its neighbor for wildfires triggered by high temperatures during the summer in the Kabylie region.
Tebboune commented on his decision in an interview with LeFigaro in 2022. “We broke [diplomatic ties with Morocco] so as not to go to war, and no country can mediate between us.”
For Tebboune, his country’s borders with Morocco remained closed for 40 years “in reaction to perpetual hostile acts by the neighbor. It is the Moroccan regime that is causing the problems, not the Moroccan people,” he alleged.
Tebboune’s remarks come as his regime has repeatedly rejected Morocco’s peace offers and intensified its hostile stance, including lobbying efforts to undermine Rabat’s diplomatic gains, particularly in the Sahara.
