Algeria(Washington Insider Magazine) – on Aug. 24 to cut ties with neighboring Morocco following decades of strained relations over the disputed Western Sahara territory. Algeria cited what it called as hostile actions by Morocco—alleged use of Pegasus spyware against Algerian officials, support of a separatist group and a failure to uphold bi-lateral commitments, as reasons for the decision, according to Al Jazeera
“The Moroccan Kingdom has never stopped its hostile actions against Algeria,” said Algerian Foreign Minister Ramdane Lamamra at a news conference in Algiers, France24 reported. Lamamra added that consulates will remain open in each country despite the cessation of ties.
Morocco’s Foreign Ministry said statement that while the decision was unjustified, that Morocco would remain a “credible and loyal partner” to the Algerian people.
The borders between the two nations have remained closed since 1994, but diplomatic relations have been steady since 1988. Morocco has been fighting off and on with the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, an armed group that has demanded independence for Western Sahara, also known by the Front as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) since 1976.
In December 2020 former U.S. President Donald Trump reversed long-standing U.S. policy and recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara as a reward to Rabat for formalizing relations with Israel, the Middle East Eye reported.
In a presidential proclamation, the Trump administration stated that, “The United States believes that an independent Sahrawi State is not a realistic option for resolving the conflict and that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution.” The prior position of the U.S. and most of the world was to allow for a referendum to be held in Western Sahara to decide its future, according to Bloomberg.
Experts however have said that the move is unlikely to spur support for Morocco. William Lawrence, a professor of political science and international affairs at the American University, told Al Jazeera that the U.S. is now “the first country in the entire world to recognize the Moroccan claim.” The decision was promptly rejected by the United Nations, the European Union and the African Union.
President Biden has thus far not changed the U.S. stance on the matter. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita that the administration would stay the course with President Trump’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara, Axios reported.
In late July, the Times of Israel reported that Joey Hood, the Acting Assistant Secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, said there is “no change in the US position.” “Where you may see a change is in the level of energy and emphasis we are putting on helping the UN process to really produce results,” he said at a news conference in Rabat.
Biden has face internal pressure to reverse the decision. More than two-dozen senators wrote a letter to the president in February to undo the “misguided decision” by former President Trump.
“The abrupt decision by the previous administration on December 11, 2020, to officially recognize the Kingdom of Morocco’s illegitimate claims of sovereignty over Western Sahara was short-sighted, undermined decades of consistent US policy, and alienated a significant number of African nations,” said the senators in the statement.
