For decades, the idea of a Greater Maghrebunited and prosperous, occupies the minds of visionaries and defenders of regional integration in North Africa. A geographical space that could have rivaled the most powerful economic blocs in the world thanks to its natural resources, its cultural heritage and its immense human potential. Unfortunately, this dream is systematically sabotaged by an Algerian military junta, prisoner of its archaic ideology and its hostile maneuvers.
The waking dream, for a “Great Maghreb” of peoples:
With its five member countries – Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania – the Greater Maghreb represents a population of more than 120 million inhabitants. An economic union in this region would have allowed:
- Optimal exploitation of natural resources: oil and gas in Algeria and Libya, phosphates in Morocco, and fertile agricultural land in Tunisia and Mauritania.
- An integrated common market that would eliminate customs barriers and stimulate intra-Maghreb trade.
- Increased economic attractiveness for foreign investment through political stability and coordinated economic policies.
A state of blockage “institutionalized” by the Algerian military junta:
However, this ambitious project is torpedoed by a single entity: the Algerian military junta. By clinging to a policy of systematic hostility towards Morocco, it transforms political differences into insurmountable obstacles to regional cooperation.
- The Sahara question
The Algerian junta spends billions of dollars financing and arming the Polisario separatist group, turning an artificial conflict into the epicenter of its diplomatic relations. Rather than favoring negotiation and diplomacy, it blocks any initiative that could promote regional stability, preferring to maintain a status quo that paralyzes integration. - THE Morocco-Algeria borders completely closed : Historical nonsense
The closure of the land border between Morocco and Algeria since 1994, and later followed by the closure of the air and sea borders, is a tragic symbol of this absurd policy of division. This act, motivated by futile political reasons, deprives the two nations of economic exchanges and humans vital. Families remain separated, trade flows are reduced to nothing, and the economies of both countries are weakened. - A regime obsessed with Morocco
The Algerian military junta, which governs through fear and repression, has transformed Algeria into a cash economy dependent exclusively on hydrocarbons. Instead of diversifying the economy and participating in regional initiatives, it diverts its resources to maintain an oppressive security apparatus and maintain fruitless diplomatic wars against Morocco.
Is the “Greater Maghreb” a threat to the junta?
Why is the military junta opposed to the Greater Maghreb? Because regional integration would mean:
- An economic opening which would expose the ineffectiveness of the Algerian regime in the face of dynamic economies like that of Morocco.
- An exchange of ideas and values which would destabilize a power based on propaganda and totalitarian control.
- A united regional force which would call into question the monopoly of the Algerian army on political and economic decisions.
The price of inaction:
The blockage of the Greater Maghreb harms not only the people of the region, but also the African continent and the entire world. A strong Maghreb union could play a major role in stabilizing North Africa and the Sahel, a key region in the fight against terrorism and irregular migration.
Furthermore, the lost economic opportunities are colossal. While Morocco is establishing itself as a continental leader thanks to strategic partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa, Algeria, under the tutelage of its junta, remains isolated, unable to maximize its energy and economic potential.
A call to mobilization:
It is time for the people of the Maghreb to refuse this division imposed by a military regime running out of steam. Algerian leaders must understand that their strategy of confrontation is not only obsolete, but also contrary to the aspirations of future generations.
A united Greater Maghreb is not only possible, but essential. It now depends on the capacity of Maghreb nations to overcome the obstacles posed by a military junta which sacrifices the interests of its people on the altar of its hegemonic ambitions.
History will judge:
History will judge the Algerian military junta harshly for its role in the sabotage of the Greater Maghreb. The potential of this union is immense, but it remains blocked by a military-political elite incapable of seeing beyond its immediate interests. Morocco, for its part, remains committed to regional integration and will continue to promote the values of cooperation, solidarity and shared prosperity. The ball is now in the court of the Algerian people, who will one day have to choose between the isolation imposed by their leaders and the bright future offered by the Greater Maghreb.
