Algeria diplomatically corners itself as real party to Sahara conflict

Morocco has repeatedly said that Algeria is the genuine party to the Sahara conflict and that no solution can be found without its active participation. Now, the erratic decisions made by Algeria against Spain came to vindicate Morocco and showed the real face of the Algerian regime in stoking separatism and instability in North Africa.

Algeria has often described itself as an observer country and that the Sahara conflict is between Morocco and the Polisario. Meanwhile, Algeria continues to arm and spend its taxpayer’s money on the Polisario and its separatist cause.

Algeria has created so much fuss by cutting ties with Morocco, halting gas supply and closing its airspace to all Moroccan fights while systematically accusing its western neighbor of all woes that affect Algeria from wildfires to economic and social crises.

In response, Morocco did nothing at all. It did neither cut ties, nor restricted trade or banned Algerian aircrafts. It did not even respond to any Algerian provocations save a statement that described Algeria’s arguments for cutting ties as “unjustified” and “absurd”.

Morocco’s official stance as expressed by King Mohammed VI was in favor of normalizing ties and working together to establish an integrated Maghreb region and closer cooperation to address shared challenges. But such calls have fallen on deaf Algerian ears so far.

However, Morocco continues its pro-active diplomatic action reaping precious diplomatic gains in support of its sovereignty over the Sahara, while diversifying allies and friends.

Unable to come to terms with Morocco’s inroads in the defense of its territorial integrity, Algeria chose escalation, partly to distract attention from its worsening economic and social crisis and partly to create a fuss of noise in a failed bid to derail attention from the new reality of the international growing support for Morocco.

Algeria has recently discredited itself on numerous occasions. It opposed a recent UN Security Council resolution calling for a mutually acceptable solution to the Sahara conflict and describing Morocco’s autonomy plan as serious and credible. It threatened African countries that were among the first to open consulates in the Moroccan sahara. It geared all its diplomatic action to defending the Polisario militias. And now it acts hysterically against Spain after the European country openly supported Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.

These decisions- to mention but a few- show the extent to which Algeria is ready to undermine its own economic and diplomatic standing in support of its Polisario proxies.

The more Algeria seeks to hold Morocco in check using the Polisario to serve its hegemonic agenda the more it isolates itself and the more hysterical decisions it will take.