Algeria has decided to “immediately reestablish” a visa regime for all Moroccan passport holders, according to an announcement made Thursday by the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relayed by the official APS news agency. This decision comes in a context of growing tensions between the two countries, with Algiers accusing Rabat of deploying “Zionist intelligence agents” on its territory.
Regional tensions
According to the Algerian authorities, Morocco would take advantage of the visa exemption to allow these agents “free access” to Algerian territory and “carry out actions threatening the stability and national security of the country”. These accusations come after the arrest of several individuals, including four Moroccans, in Tlemcen on September 1, suspected of belonging to a spy network.
Relations between Algeria and Morocco have deteriorated significantly in recent years, particularly after the diplomatic rapprochement between Morocco and Israel, viewed with suspicion by Algiers. The latter, support of the Palestinian cause, sees this alliance as a regional threat.
Diplomatic rupture and border closure
The borders between the two countries have been closed since 1994 but freedom of movement has not been called into question. The recent rapprochement between Morocco and Israel arouses distrust in Algeria, Rabat’s regional rival and supporter of the Palestinian cause.
Algiers broke off diplomatic relations with Rabat in August 2021, denouncing a series of “hostile acts” by its neighbor, also concerning the contested territory of Western Sahara and support for the independence movement of the Kabylie Autonomy Movement (MAK), which Algiers has classified as a terrorist organization. With this reinstatement of visas, tensions between these two Maghreb powers show no sign of easing, reinforcing regional divisions.
