Algeria declares the Arab Maghreb Union dead and blames Morocco

According to the Algerian news agency APS, which published a death certificate, Morocco is responsible for the paralysis of the Union because it has made alliances with Israel and the Gulf States.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had previously said that Morocco is not part of the new Maghreb project that he wants to set up with Tunisia and Libya. He referred to Morocco’s wish to join the West African Development Organization (ECOWAS).

APS also cited a 1995 request from Morocco in which the country requested the suspension of the AMU’s institutions. However, the news agency did not mention that Morocco did this in protest against Algeria’s support for the Polisario, a militant independence movement fighting for the Moroccan Sahara.

Algeria’s statement comes at a time when the project of the Maghreb without Morocco receives little support from other countries. Libya, which attended the tripartite summit in Tunis on April 22, has called several times for the strengthening of the AMU. Libyan President Mohammed Younès El-Menfi even sent a message to King Mohammed VI of Morocco to this effect.

Mauritania, which is under pressure from Algeria, has also not yet joined Tebboune’s initiative and rejects a Maghreb bloc without Morocco.