In the fight against terrorism, Morocco judges the contribution of countries in relation to “reality, not in relation to declarations”, declared the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, referring to Algeria.
The head of Moroccan diplomacy, who granted an interview to RFI, returned to relations with Algeria, the Sahara affair and the recent position of Spain, which supports Morocco in its proposed solution which establishes the autonomy.
“Morocco judges the contribution of countries in relation to realities, not in relation to declarations or stooges”, launched Bourita in response to a question on the feasibility of cooperation between Morocco and Algeria. in the fight against terrorism.
He also recalled that the global coalition against Daesh in Africa had its framework and that it had its members (of which Algeria is not a part, editor’s note). “I have noticed that the strong presence here, the momentum that is currently being triggered is sufficient,” he said following this meeting organized at the invitation of Morocco and the United States where high-level delegations from 79 countries took part.
In a subtle message addressed to Algeria, the Minister also indicated that the fight against terrorism was not a “game” nor a “lever” to assert oneself and that this fight was done on the ground and not by blows. speeches or statements.
While Algeria was not present at the meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh in Africa organized in Marrakech in Morocco, this absence can be explained by three realities, the first is that Algiers unilaterally broke in August 2021 its diplomatic relations with Morocco.
Second, Algeria has supported and welcomed the separatist militia of the Polisario for almost 50 years, as it seeks to destabilize and threaten the territorial integrity of Morocco.
Thirdly, the eastern neighbor is a land mined by terrorism and which cultivates it, in particular by letting the leaders of jihadist groups pass through the south of the country, entering from neighboring countries such as Mali.
And the death of the Malian Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of Nousrat al Islam wa lmouslimine (Support group for Islam and Muslims known by the acronym GSIM) of which AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) has become a branch, in a military operation of France, proves this relationship between Algiers and terrorist groups.
Indeed, the Malian Tuareg jihadist had his habits and his entries into Algeria and several European secret services indicated that there were links between him and the Algerian intelligence services.
In addition, the jihadist Yahia Djouadi, known as Abou Ammar al Jazairi, a major figure of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), killed by France, also has links with Algeria, being himself Algerian, and was settled in northern Mali, not far from the Algerian border. He had taken the head of the “9th military region” of AQIM, which covers southern Algeria and the Sahel.
Finally, the case of Adnan Abou Walid Al Sahraoui, nicknamed the emir of the Islamic State group in the Greater Sahara (EIGS), also killed by France, once again shows the link with Algeria and terrorism. The Moroccan native of Laayoune (in the south), had gone into exile in Algeria to be trained with the Polisario, the Sahrawi separatist militia before climbing the ladder and becoming the head of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS).
Faced with these realities, a large majority of the countries of the international community have therefore chosen to support Morocco in the defense of its territorial integrity and by supporting the Moroccan autonomy plan for the settlement of the Sahara issue and exit from the status -quo which only threatens regional stability.
The latest country, Spain, officially adopted it and reaffirmed its position at the meeting of the Global Coalition against Daesh in Africa. “The Spanish position is part of a movement which is observed at the level of the United Nations, which is observed at the European, African and Arab level”, affirmed in this sense Nasser Bourita.
“I think that today Morocco and Spain will present a different model of relationship between two shores of the Mediterranean,” he said.
And to add that the promoters of “outdated options” who are no longer part of the international movement in favor of a definitive solution to this file “are a small minority who want to exploit the question of the Sahara to make the status quo last detrimental to regional stability”.
The Minister also recalled in this sense the link between separatism and terrorism, alluding to the Polisario that Algeria created. He thus declared that the danger today for regional stability is to “feed the terrorist movements by elements which are armed, which are not structured”. “Investing in separatism is feeding terrorism,” he said.
Regarding the escalation that Algeria seeks with Morocco, Nasser Bourita, affirmed that since the beginning of the crisis “the royal instruction was not to engage in an escalation”.
“Morocco is following its path, Morocco has not reacted to any of the escalation measures taken by Algeria. Morocco is a responsible state that works first within the framework of its national interests for regional and international stability,” he concluded.
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