A high-level Moroccan diplomat renewed comments on Monday that were cited by Algeria when it cut ties with Rabat last week, a move that could escalate tensions between the two countries. Omar Hilal, Morocco's ambassador to the United Nations, stated in remarks reported by the Moroccan News Agency that there are similarities between the conflicts in the territories controlled by Morocco in Western Sahara and those occurring in Algeria’s Kabylie region.
Hilal's comments are likely to provoke a response from Algeria, which announced last week that it had severed diplomatic relations with Rabat while keeping consulates in both countries open. The border between Morocco and Algeria has been closed since 1994, and Algeria has indicated it will halt gas exports through a pipeline that runs through Morocco, which was scheduled for renewal this year.
The Moroccan official was quoted saying, "The Kabyle people also have the right to self-determination. Why does Algeria deny them what it demands for the Moroccans of the Sahara?" Morocco considers Western Sahara as part of its territory, but sovereignty over the region is contested between Rabat and the Polisario Front, an independence movement supported by Algeria since Spain's departure as a colonial power in the 1970s.
While the United States endorsed Morocco's claim to sovereignty over Western Sahara last year in exchange for Rabat reinforcing ties with Israel, most countries have indicated they seek a solution supported by the United Nations. More than 20 countries, mostly African and Arab, have opened consulates in Western Sahara, effectively recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the territory.
Algeria has accused Morocco of supporting the Movement for Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), a group based in France advocating for the independence of the Kabylie region in northeastern Algeria. Algeria blamed the organization for the wildfires that broke out this month, resulting in fatalities; the organization denied this.
In the context of its decision to sever relations, Algeria cited Morocco's stance on Western Sahara, Hilal's previous statements regarding the Kabylie region, and what it claimed was Morocco's use of the Pegasus spyware to monitor Algerian officials. In response, Morocco stated that Algeria's decision to cut ties was unjustified and that its justifications were "false and absurd." Morocco has previously denied possessing the Pegasus program.
