who would win a war between morocco and algeria
By downloading this PDF you agree to subscribe to The Africa Report Daily newsletter, This year's AU could work to Morocco's advantage over Western Sahara, Morocco/Algeria : Tensions on the rise after Algerian show mocks the King, Morocco/Algeria: Western Sahara conflict shows signs of escalation, Morocco/Algeria: The armed forces behind the Western Sahara conflict, Morocco/Algeria: Military leaders in the shadows, Morocco/Algeria: Jeune Afrique, a magazine caught between two mortal enemies. It doesn't have the capability to handle both at the same time," Gower said. During the Cold War, Algeria was much less inclined to liberalism. With the breakdown of the status quo, the nearly 50-year-old antagonism between the countries is now playing out on the military front. [40], The OAU mediated a formal peace treaty on February 20, 1964. In this regard, Henry Kissinger, the American diplomat, and political scientist wrote of Morocco that it has been, for a century at the intersection of the great strategies of foreign powers, which forces its leaders to maneuver with art, subtlety, and authority.. [8] Morocco officially reported to have suffered 39 dead. One of the reasons that Death Battle was born was due to the fact that since the dawn of versus debates, people discussed who would win, who could winbut rarely ever did the full work to prove who could win. Get your free PDF by completing the following form. A presidential statement confirms that Tebboune had given the order to not renew the contract "in light of the hostile behavior of the (Moroccan) kingdom which undermines national unity.". Part of the Military Factory network of sites that includes, 2023 www.GlobalFirepower.com All Rights Reserved Content 2006-2023 (17yrs). The Moroccan ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale, in a note addressed to the members of the conference, seems to have crossed the Rubicon in the eyes of Algeria by declaring that he is in favor of the self-determination of the valiant Kabyle people, the Tamazight-speaking Algerian minority. The Algerian Prosecutors Office has opened an investigation to shed light on the materiality and extent of these crimes that threaten international peace and security, as well as human security, according to the official statement from Algiers. ", Ukraine updates: Russian attack causes injuries, damage, Ukraine: Russian troops edge closer to taking Bakhmut, Ukraine's counteroffensive: Goals, opportunities, risks. Complete the form and download, for free, the highlights from The Africa Reports Exclusive Ranking of Africas top 200 banks from last year. With hard-hitting investigations, innovative analysis and deep dives into countries and sectors, The Africa Report delivers the insight you need. Morocco controls 80% of the Western Sahara, Algeria supports the independence movementPolisario Front. This week, the difficult situation has been even further exacerbated, with Algeria ending the contract for a gas pipeline that runs via Morocco to deliver gas to Spain. However, the war hypothesis seems to be ruled out, despite the alarms that have been raised, largely fuelled by the powerful international lobbies of the arms market. Rabat responded saying the accusations were false and that it regretted the decision. Though relations between the brotherly countries have never been without bumps in the road, Morocco and Algerias chilly ties have given way to open hostility over the past few months. Moroccan youth organised a protest in front of the Algerian consulate in the northern city of Casablanca against Bouteflikas statements on human rights in the Sahara region. [11] In the Treaty of Lalla Maghnia (March 18, 1845), which set the border between French Algeria and Morocco, it is stipulated that "a territory without water is uninhabitable and its boundaries are superfluous"[12] and the border is delineated over only 165km. During the Cold War, the late King Hassan II used this conflict as an instrument, drawing a parallel between the Western Sahara conflict and the confrontation between East and West, citing Algerias ideological proximity to the USSR. While Moroccos financial support for the MAK leadership abroad is in little doubt for many dissidents of the organization born in the aftermath of the Kabyle Black Spring of 2001 (126 deaths), no actions by Algiers in support of the Rif Hirakare known yet, but this could change under the terms of the HCS communiqu. This is part three of a five-part series. "There might be some effort to whip up support domestically and to try and create an enemy which therefore empowers the Algerian elite and the regime again. Released in 1966, The Battle of Algiers follows revolutionary Ali La Pointe in the years between 1954 and 1957, in which all the events depicted are recreations of actual happenings at the time . It advocated social democracy within an Islamic framework and equal citizenship for any resident in Algeria. Bilateral relations warmed as Rabat prepared for a visit by the then-Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and his delegation to sign several agreements. [25] These factors prompted Hassan to begin moving troops towards Tindouf. Tensions between Algeria and Morocco have never been as tense in 45 years. Indeed, these tensions could hinder the already fragile regional stability. [26], The Algerian forces began to retaliate against the Moroccan advances, taking back the ports of Hassi-Beida and Tindjoub on October 8. But history shows that states do not always have absolute control over their own level of aggressiveness: an escalation that is initially controlled can quickly degenerate. And in a deal brokered by the US, the kingdom agreed to resume diplomatic relations with Israel, a long-standing taboo for Algeria which also happens to be the Polisario Fronts main backer. Zunes, Stephen (1995). Syria says Aleppo airport forced to shut after Israeli airstrike; 1 soldier killed, Israel falling far behind its own global warming emissions targets, McCarthy extols ties at Knesset, vows full support for Israeli security against Iran, Government agency warns judicial uncertainty will damage tech ecosystem, Knesset summer session opens with slugging match over judicial overhaul, Levin accuses US administration of cooperating with judicial overhaul opponents. Omar Hilales comments immediately aroused the ire of the Algerian media and the Algerian political class, of all stripes, who defended in unison the territorial unity of the country and castigated the Moroccan willingness to annex Western Sahara by force. Known Issues High idle power has situationally been observed when using select high-resolution and high refresh rate displays on Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs. The Africa Report takes stock of the forces at play and the risk of confrontation between the two North African giants. Countries similar in appearance but heterogeneous in fact. In 1940 each of the five territories along the North African coastEgypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Moroccohad a colonial or semi-colonial status under a European power. World Military Loop 721 subscribers Subscribe 3.7K views 11 months ago #military #Morocco #Algeria In this video, we have. Then, these tensions crystallized around the Western Sahara conflict following Algiers support for the Polisario Front, which claims independence for the territory disputed between Polisario and Morocco. can rely on a broad social and political consensus that the Western Sahara should be Moroccan and he has little criticism to fear from his own people," Sonja Hegasy, Vice Director at the Berlin-based Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (Leibniz Center for the Modern Orient, ZMO), told DW on the phone. That's why debates like Goku vs. Superman, Link vs. The Algerian presidency issued a statement accusing Morocco of carrying out an attack with a "sophisticated weapon" on two Algerian transport convoys. In response, Algeria denounced foreign maneuvers aimed at destabilizing it, citing a real desire to attack Algeria through the arrival of the Zionist entity at its doorstep. The New Algeria, the political and economic program of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, elected in December 2019, is supposed to respond to the claims of the blessed Hirak. After Moroccan forces carried out an operation to drive Sahrawi separatists out of the Guerguerat crossing point in mid-November, as the rebel group had blocked access to the area, Sahrawi fighters are once again saying a war has erupted between Rabat and the Polisario. In August 2021, Algeria's foreign minister, Ramdane Lamamra, announced that Algiers was severing . . The Sand War led to heightened tensions between the two countries for several decades. Dubbed North Africa's new 'Cold War', the tensions between Morocco and neighboring Algeria threaten to escalate and the consequences of this have a lot more to do with Western meddling in the affairs of the two countries than meets the eye. The borders around this region were loosely defined. Morocco officially denies that the war has resumed. But before this last step, there are others through which Algeria or Morocco defends its vital interests. The warlike contest, if it were to take place, would be limited to the use of navy, aviation or ground defence to attack the adversary's positions from a distance. However, in November 2020, following the reopening of the Guerguerat border crossing with Mauritania, occupied by Sahrawi troops, clashes broke out between the Sherifian kingdom and the Polisario Front, threatening the cease-fire put in place in 1991. You can follow Professor Mohamed Chtatou on Twitter: @Ayurinu, 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved. The Moroccan consul in the western Algerian city of Oran called Algeria an enemy country, prompting the Algerian foreign ministry to summon the Moroccan ambassador and to declare the implicated diplomat persona non grata. [28], Morocco's armed forces were smaller, but comparatively well-equipped and frequently took advantage of their superior firepower on the battlefield. It is, moreover, the Moroccan proximity to Israel which the Pegasus spying affair has only made more likely that has fuelled pro-government propaganda in Algeria during the fires. Algeria and Morocco are two pivotal countries in the Maghreb-Sahel region that are considered key partners by international powers to ensure stability in the region, fight terrorism, and curb organized crime. Could the situation descend into a full-blown conflict? It is plain to see that neither Morocco nor Algeria want a full-blown conflict, as it would have disastrous consequences. Since 1975, the dominant issue between the two countries has been the conflict in Western Sahara.After the former colonial power Spain withdrew its forces and handed control of the territory to Morocco and Mauritania, Algeria threw its support behind the local Sahrawi people's claims for self-determination and the Polisario movement fighting on their behalf. Morocco and Algeria: will there be war in 2022? o On the other hand, given the geographical, historical and socio-political considerations prevailing in each of the two countries, the invasion of the adversary's territory by ground troops is excluded. Relations between arch-enemies Morocco and Algeria have hit a new low after three Algerian truck drivers were killed on Monday. But history shows that countries do not always have complete control over the scale of their own aggression, as seemingly minor escalations have quickly degenerated in the past. The battle between Morocco and Algeria is for "leadership in the region." the paper's sources said, adding that Algeria "must implement a more aggressive diplomatic strategy." "Over the. Rabat turns to US and French suppliers, while Algiers sticks with Russian-made military goods. Referring to the speech of Ramtane Lamamra, the new head of Algerian diplomacy, at the same conference, he also said that Algeria should not deny this right to the Kabyle people while supporting the self-determination of the Sahrawis and Palestinians. Such an action can basically defuse the tension between Morocco and Algeria and make this movement bear the brunt of mounting aggressivity in the region. These tensions finally resulted in the closure of land borders in 1994. The Western Sahara conflict. o The impossibility of successful international mediation. Their last conflict ended in 1769. Moroccan irredentism, the absence of clear borders, and Algerias unwillingness to reconsider the borders inherited from the colonial period were all reasons that gave rise to the conflict. But if the myth of a united Maghreb is still alive, it no longer covers the same realities. They are based on google searches and volume search and are for entertainment purposes. (L to R) Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia, Hassan II, king of Morocco, Modibo Keita, president of Mali and Ahmed Ben Bella, president of Algeria, leaving African Unity summit in Addis Ababa. Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. So far, no mediation has been successful, but both capitals do not close their doors to mediators. Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. [38] The United Nations received many pleas to issue a ceasefire appeal, but Secretary-General U Thant wanted to allow regional initiatives to pursue a solution. On 1 November, the 67th anniversary of the outbreak of the Algerian War of Independence, three Algerian truck drivers, who were travelling between Nouakchott and Ouargla, were killed in an attack that Algiers attributed to Moroccan forces. In the eyes of the Algerian regime, there is the blessed Hirak, the one that put an end to the mafia-like excesses of the presidency of Abdelaziz Bouteflika (1999-2019), and the cursed Hirak, the one that demands a change of regime and which would be supported according to the Algerian military regime by Imperialist-Zionist forces. Despite the fact that important sectors of public opinion and political groups are opposed to the outbreak of hostilities, in the event of conflict it is foreseeable that there will be "patriotic unity for the defence of the country". [5], Moroccan forces had planned a second offensive on Tindouf and occupied positions about four kilometres from the settlement. [23], Weeks of skirmishes along the border eventually escalated into a full-blown confrontation on September 25, 1963, with intense fighting around the oasis towns of Tindouf and Figuig. The two countries signed a two-phase border demarcation and good-neighbourliness treaty in 1969 and 1972 as a culmination of the end of the war and the border dispute. The desire to adopt the European model is such that Morocco even went so far as to apply for membership in the European Union in 1984. None of Algeria's traditional allies, neither on the African continent, nor in the Arab world, nor on a global scale, such as Russia, China, Cuba, South Africa, Syria or Palestine among them, have given their support to this rupture. In 2015, Algeria's military budget was $11 billion, while Morocco's was only $3 billion. [17] The conflict ended with the annexation of the Touat-Gourara-Tidikelt complex by France in 1901.[18]. Algerian authorities suspected that Morocco was inciting the revolt, while Hassan was anxious about his own opposition's reverence for Algeria, escalating tensions between the nations. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. Western Sahara is an integral part of Morocco for Rabat. The severance of diplomatic relations with Morocco announced on August 24, 2021, came against a backdrop of vulnerability for the Algerian regime, which has not stopped denouncing plots against Algeria since the Arab revolts of 2011. [13] Beyond that there is only one border area, without limit, punctuated by tribal territories attached to Morocco or Algeria. The 10% cut of energy supply is a setback for Morocco as well, since the country has to import about 95% of its energy. There are expansion plans for that, but they're not due for completion until the end of this year at the absolute earliest," Gower said, adding"there is no back-up plan. [38] On October 29, Hassan and Ben Bella met to negotiate in Bamako, Mali, joined by Emperor Selassie and Mali's President Modibo Keta. Morocco's and Algeria's top military and secret service leaders have risen through the ranks and often led brilliant and sometimes action-packed careers. October 1963: Algeria and Morocco confronted each other militarily over a border dispute in the so-called Sand War in October 1963 following Algeria's independence on July 5, 1962. In case of abuse. This was only the latest episode in a process of escalation between the two countries. Military doctrine in both countries is based on the consideration that "in order to carry weight on the international geopolitical stage, it is necessary to have modern, high-quality armed forces". Algerian Foreign Minister Lamtane Lamamras vehement condemnation was then accompanied by a tacit threat about the risk of the Moroccan monarchy facing a separatist claim in the Rif, an Amazigh/ Berber-speaking region in northern Morocco in recurrent conflict with the central government. Algeria said . During 2015 he worked as Program Director with the USAID/CHEMONICS educational project entitled: Reading for Success: A Small Scale Experimentation in cooperation with the Moroccan Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP). [4] The Royal Moroccan Army soon crossed into Algeria in force and succeeded in taking the two border posts of Hassi-Beida and Tindjoub. [4] In case of war or state of siege, an additional force of 150,000 Reservists[citation needed] and paramilitary forces, including 24,000 regulars of the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie and 30,000 Auxiliary Forces come under the Ministry of Defense command.. About Morocco Army Arabic :The Royal Moroccan Army (Arabic: ) . 215 195 20 . These revelations have caused widespread outrage in Algeria, especially on social networks. - Quora President Abdelmadjid Tebboune accused Morocco of supporting the Kabyle pro-independence organization MAK (Mouvement pour lautodtermination de la Kabylie), classified since last May as a terrorist by the same HCS. Moroccos hostile acts would thus indirectly be the arson that caused 92 deaths and thousands of displaced persons in the country between August 9 and 16, 2021 even if the material evidence of such accusations is of course absent. For Rabat, it is a matter of defending the integrity of its territory. In doing so, they have effectively pledged their support to Morocco. But I will answer your question to the best of my ability. In order to understand what is at stake, it is worth reflecting on several points: - First, for there to be a war, there must be two opposing camps, either alone as countries or in coalition with other allies. (1954-1962). ( ) .================COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER UNDER SECTION 107 OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT 1976 Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for \"fair use\" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. The leaders of both countries exchanged visits as a testament to normalisation. Here are the most prominent tensions between the two countries over the past decades: Algeria and Morocco confronted each other militarily over a border dispute in the so-called Sand War in October 1963 following Algerias independence on July 5, 1962. The land border between Morocco and Algeria has already been closed since 1994 at the behest of the Algerian regime, after Morocco blamed its secret services for a terrorist attack in a hotel in Marrakech carried out by French citizens of North African descent, imposed visas for Algerian nationals, and expelled those who didn't hold residence In the 1890s, the French administration and military called for the annexation of the Tuat region. Highlights Support for: STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor Fixed Issues Red corruption may occur in World War Z: Aftermath when using the Vulkan API. Dr. Mohamed Chtatou is a Professor of MENA region area studies at Universit Internationale de Rabat -UIR- and of Education at Universit Mohammed V in Rabat, as well. She believes that neither side can really afford to push the envelope too far. [34] Algeria and Cuba planned a major counteroffensive, Operation Dignidad, aimed at driving the Moroccan forces back across the border and capturing Berguent. [28] They also suspected that Washington was hoping the war would precipitate Ben Bella's downfall, which Castro was determined to prevent. [11][30] They possessed forty T-54 main battle tanks that they had purchased from the Soviet Union, twelve SU-100 tank destroyers, seventeen AMX-13s, and a fleet of gun-armed Panhard EBR armored cars. Since the War of the Sands, nothing has been settled between the two countries, except for a few problems whose solution could not be delayed too long, and which required delicate negotiations: such as the demarcation of the demilitarized zone on the border, or the fate of the people and goods on both sides that suffered from the conflict, or the cooperation agreements concluded or prepared before the crisis and which were never put into effect. The situation is now more complex with the emergence of the POLIS ARIO Front in Spanish Sahara. 5 July 2021 AFP In our series of letters from African journalists, Algerian-Canadian journalist Maher Mezahi questions why the border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed for so many. November 2020 unleashed pandora's box following the military intervention in Guerguerat and Washington's recognition of Rabat's sovereignty over Western Sahara. [34] The Cubans offloaded their equipment and transported it to the southwestern front by rail. Click 'COMPARE' to process the request. The Algerian government expressed its deep concern on this issue, considering these actions as an inadmissible systematic violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms which also constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles and norms governing international relations, and automatically attacked Morocco without any substantial evidence: Algeria expresses its deep concern over the revelations made by a consortium of several media bodies with a high professional reputation and revealing the widespread use by the authorities of some countries, and notably Morocco, of a spyware called Pegasus to spyon Algerian officials and citizens, as well as journalists and human rights defenders worldwide.. He is, also, a specialist on political Islam in the MENA region with interest in the roots of terrorism and religious extremism. However, it is to the MAK, and to the Rachad organization stamped pro-Hirak, also judged terrorist, that the Algerian power has decided to attribute the fires in Kabylia and in many regions of Algeria. Why is Netflix pouring billions into South Korean shows? The deterioration of relations between the two Maghreb brothers has, indeed, worsened after the recent rapprochement between Morocco and Israel. Moroccos King Mohammed VI called for the restoration of diplomatic ties with Algeria. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says in a statement his country is ready for any dialogue but asked Morocco to first clarify to Algeria its position on the speech of the Moroccan representative at the UN regarding the Kabylie region. Get full access to The Africa Report on all your devices. [7], The Sand War laid the foundations for a lasting and often intensely hostile rivalry between Morocco and Algeria, exacerbated by the differences in political outlook between the conservative Moroccan monarchy and the revolutionary, Arab nationalist Algerian military government. I think the Moroccans would win do their larger military force, the portuges. However, Morocco has recently scored astounding military successes against Polisario fighters thanks to its efficient drone strikes. On the Moroccan side, Rabat denied such baseless allegations and declared that it has undertaken to sue the consortium behind the investigation for defamation before the criminal court in Paris. THE DISPUTE. In November last year, then-US president Donald Trump had recognized Morocco's claim over the phosphate-rich Western Sahara as part of a quid pro quofor Rabat's normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel. Hostilities between Morocco and Algeria have taken on a new dimension in recent months, especially over the Western Sahara question. They will therefore do everything to avoid pressure from the international community. An unwritten dissuasive consensus united the two regimes, Algerian and Moroccan, not to use Kabylia and the Rif as an extension in their conflict over Western Sahara. who would win a war between morocco and algeria. - Secondly, in order for the war to come to a confrontation, there are several stages to go through. Although this war ended in a cease-fire permitted by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) under the proposal of Malian President Modibo KETA, the resulting enmity remained a problem that hindered the establishment of peace in the region since. However, Morocco's ONEE was quick to assure in a statement that "the decision announced by the Algerian authorities not to renew the agreement on the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline will currently have only a minimal impact on the performance of the national electricity system.". Algeria accused Rabat of inciting Tel Aviv against it. While Algeria has promised to meet Spain's demand by using the smaller undersea Medgaz-pipeline instead as it doesn't run through Morocco the decision has sparked fear of gas shortages and soaring energy prices in Spain and other European countries. Algerians, who are generally not very receptive to the bellicose rhetoric of the two regimes, did not appreciate the December 2020 restoration of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel in exchange for Donald Trumps recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. [23] The following year the two leaders set up a commission to demarcate the border and examine prospects for joint efforts to mine iron ore in the disputed region. At first glance, it is easy to believe that they are similar in every way. Algerias hostility toward Morocco since its independence in 1962 is considered a real enigma by many foreign observers. "At the moment there are still many question marks over the origins of the attack; some early research suggests that the location where it took place is considered Moroccan by Rabat but under the control of the Polisario by Algiers," Alice Gower, director of geopolitics and security at the London-based political adviser Azure Strategy, told DW by phone. But the fundamentals remain the same: political contradictions between the two regimes, rein? Please use the following structure: example@domain.com, Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition. Since the evacuation in mid-November by Moroccan forces of the Guerguerat crossing, blocked for several weeks by Sahrawi independence fighters, it is again, if one is to believe the latter, war between Rabat and the Polisario. The land border closed between the two countries since 1994, and the ongoing diplomatic war on the Western Sahara issue has been added to the case of the call for independence of Kabylia in recent months and the spectacular rapprochement of Morocco with Israel. [5] Morocco's invasion proved to be a diplomatic blunder, as the other Arab and African states refused to recognize its border claims. Algeria recalledits ambassador from Rabat. But this perspective itself may still seem too ambitious. The Golden State Warriors will head to the Target Center in Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, March 1. Moroccan activism, Algerian tension November 2020 unleashed pandora's box following the military intervention in Guerguerat and Washington's recognition of Rabat's sovereignty over Western Sahara. This agreement wasmuch to Algeria's dismay as it has been a firm supporter of the local Polisario Front with the Sahrawi group that seeks independence for the region. The Western Sahara crisis continues to poison relations between the two states. o The media campaigns being waged in both countries, laden with accusations and insults, are more about the need to divert public attention from the real internal problems that exist in each country, caused by the effects of the pandemic, the growing socio-economic difficulties or the poor management of the economy, which is one hundred percent dependent on oil in the Algerian case, and on tourism and agriculture in the Moroccan case. Announced two days later in an official statement by the . But the visit was cancelled at the last minute with Rabat saying the time was not right, a gesture Algeria called an insult.
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