In front of deputies, Nasser Bourita warns against Algeria’s warlike desires

The day after the November 6 speech delivered by HM King Mohammed VI, who urged Algeria to abandon destabilizing maneuvers, Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued serious warnings, highlighting signs of a “military escalation » from Algiers. These statements, made before the Committee on Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Islamic Affairs, Migration and MRE in the House of Representatives, during the presentation of the 2025 sectoral budget, reflect an increase in vigilance on the scene Moroccan politics.

During this intervention, Bourita revealed that the Kingdom has “concrete data” on Algeria’s intentions to initiate an armed confrontation. According to him, Algiers’ actions “betray a desire for confrontation and rupture”, specifically targeting Morocco in the context of the latter’s recent diplomatic advances on the Sahara issue. These frank and unprecedented statements depart from the usual diplomatic tone and express the seriousness of the moment, marking a break from past approaches of simple communiqués of disapproval.

These positions come in a context of accentuated regional rivalry, particularly since France has demonstrated its explicit support for the Moroccan character of the Sahara. This recognition constitutes a major diplomatic success for Morocco, perceived by Algiers as a direct threat to its own influence. More recently, Security Council Resolution 2576, adopted in favor of Morocco, also accentuated the frustration of Algeria, which, isolated on the Saharan issue, decided to abstain from voting in protest.

Morocco perceives this escalation as an attempt to distract Algerians from the country’s internal crises. Since 2019, Algeria has been going through a period of turbulence marked by the Hirak and by increasingly acute socio-economic difficulties. The crisis of shortage of basic necessities and the rise of popular demands have increased the pressure on the Algerian government, which, according to certain observers, is exploiting the Moroccan-Algerian question to stir up nationalist sentiment and thus channel tensions towards “the external enemy.

In his speech on November 6, HM King Mohammed VI highlighted this strategy, denouncing those “who use the Sahara affair as a screen to hide their own domestic problems.” In this sense, the rise in tensions with Morocco could thus constitute an escape route for Algiers, allowing the regime to refocus the public debate around an external threat and to strengthen its own legitimacy.

On the military level, the situation has also been tense since the strategic cooperation agreement signed between Morocco and Israel in November 2021. This agreement, aimed at strengthening Moroccan defensive capabilities, sparked virulent reactions from Algeria . An Algerian military source, described as a “hawk” and cited by the French newspaper “L’Opinion”, even affirmed shortly after this agreement that the time had come for a military intervention against Morocco, promoting the military superiority of Algiers.

Since then, Morocco has undertaken a major program to modernize its Royal Armed Forces (FAR), strengthening its defense through new acquisitions of sophisticated equipment and developing a national military industry. This strategic redeployment, initiated to face growing threats, however fuels Algiers’ apprehensions and contributes to the climate of mutual mistrust.

Morocco’s attitude towards its eastern neighbor has always been marked by a policy of “outstretched hand”, despite complex relations and a history of tensions. However, Nasser Bourita’s warnings reflect a shift towards a posture of increased vigilance.