Morocco/Algeria: The armed forces behind the Western Sahara conflict The conflict was a Cold War theater: Algeria was . The GFP country comparison form is provided to allow you to make direct, side-by-side comparisons of any two world powers represented in the GFP database. Golden State Warriors vs Minnesota Timberwolves - Sportskeeda Algeria - The Algerian War of Independence | Britannica The Moroccan viceroy of Tafilalt who was in charge of collecting tribute from the region refrained from interfering in the conflict, and thus the local tribes were left to fend for themselves. [44], Article 6 du trait, cit par Zartman, page 163, "Western Sahara: Nonviolent resistance as a last resort", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sand_War&oldid=1152716101. In the 1890s, the French administration and military called for the annexation of the Tuat region. [28] For these reasons, the Cuban government formed the Grupo Especial de Instruccin to be sent to Algeria. But Algeria's president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has already warned Morocco that "their killings will not go unpunished,"as the state news agency APS reports. Relations between arch-enemies Morocco and Algeria have hit a new low after three Algerian truck drivers were killed on Monday. In reality, Morocco, playing on its Arab and Muslim membership on the one hand the Sherifian monarch being legitimate on the religious level acts as the EUs good pupil in the Maghreb by adhering to its principles and maintaining cordial relations with European countries. In 2015, Algeria's military budget was $11 billion, while Morocco's was only $3 billion. In doing so, they have effectively pledged their support to Morocco. The Algerian Prosecutors Office has opened an investigation to shed light on the materiality and extent of these crimes that threaten international peace and security, as well as human security, according to the official statement from Algiers. [25] These factors prompted Hassan to begin moving troops towards Tindouf. THE DISPUTE. So far, and despite the magnitude of annual arms acquisitions ranging from 6.5 per cent of GDP for Morocco to no less than 10 per cent of GDP for Algeria, these huge arsenals are not solely for the purpose of confronting each other, but are part of the geo-political rivalry between the two countries in North Africa and the Western Mediterranean. Andrew Wells-Dang on U.S.-Vietnam Relations 48 Years After the War Western Sahara is today the burning issue between Morocco and Algeria. King Mohammed's son, King Hassan II, who succeeded him, made claims over Algerian territory. In Algiers, this is not far from being considered a declaration of war. Morocco caught up with Algeria . Algerian authorities suspected that Morocco was inciting the revolt, while Hassan was anxious about his own opposition's reverence for Algeria, escalating tensions between the nations. Tensions between Algeria and Morocco have never been as tense in 45 years. [4] The Royal Moroccan Army soon crossed into Algeria in force and succeeded in taking the two border posts of Hassi-Beida and Tindjoub. [39] The accord mandated a ceasefire for November 2, and announced that a commission consisting of Moroccan, Algerian, Ethiopian, and Malian officers would decide the boundaries of a demilitarized zone. Morocco is more liberal and attached to Europe. But history shows that countries do not always have complete control over the scale of their own aggression, as seemingly minor escalations have quickly degenerated in the past. And it does not help that Algiers embarked on an anything but brotherly arms race some 15 years ago that spurred Rabat to do the same, with Algeria buying up Russian-made military gear and Morocco turning to Western weapons suppliers. o The legal limbo in terms of international legality, in which the Western Sahara conflict finds itself, is not the cause of the crisis between Morocco and Algeria, although it is an aggravating factor. Quora - A place to share knowledge and better understand the world Moroccos King Mohammed VI called for the restoration of diplomatic ties with Algeria. World Military Loop 721 subscribers Subscribe 3.7K views 11 months ago #military #Morocco #Algeria In this video, we have. For the time being, however, all attempts have failed despite the autonomy plan proposed by Rabat and the claim of a referendum by the Polisario Front. Get your free PDF by completing the following form. The severance of diplomatic relations with Morocco announced on August 24, 2021, came against a backdrop of vulnerability for the Algerian regime, which has not stopped denouncing plots against Algeria since the Arab revolts of 2011. But if the myth of a united Maghreb is still alive, it no longer covers the same realities. Algiers is therefore calling for action by the major powers, particularly those with a seat on the UN Security Council, to enforce the law in this crisis. However, no significant breakthrough was achieved. - In order for bilateral military confrontation to occur, there are different patterns that have to be reached: o War is the ultimate instrument for the defence of the country's strategic interests, which include national security and the country's projection as an international actor. [34] The troops were sent at the request of Ben Bella, though he would later deny this in 1997. So, it is quite a risky position to take.". Morocco and Algeria have engaged in a dangerous arms race in recent decades. However, the contract between Algeria's state-owned energy company Sonatrach and the Moroccan National Office for Energy and Potable Water (ONEE) ended without renewal in late October this year. The conflict was a Cold War theater: Algeria was supported by Egypt and Cuba, while Morocco was endorsed by the United States. I think the Moroccans would win do their larger military force, the portuges. However, it is to the MAK, and to the Rachad organization stamped pro-Hirak, also judged terrorist, that the Algerian power has decided to attribute the fires in Kabylia and in many regions of Algeria. October 1963: Algeria and Morocco confronted each other militarily over a border dispute in the so-called Sand War in October 1963 following Algeria's independence on July 5, 1962. [40] The attack was denounced and dramatized by the Moroccan Government. . Leading up to the final days of Trump's period in the White House, the former president signed a decree officially acknowledging (by America) Morocco's claim that the disputed territory is a legitimate sovereign part of the kingdom. In November last year, then-US president Donald Trump had recognized Morocco's claim over the phosphate-rich Western Sahara as part of a quid pro quofor Rabat's normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel. - In any case, and despite the fact that bridges are being broken one by one in bilateral relations, the strategic interests of the two countries do not clash at the moment. Nabil Adghoghi, the first advisor to the Mission of the Kingdom of Morocco to the European Union, confirms that the foreign policy of the Sherifian Kingdom is anchored in Europe with a marked economic openness. The GlobalFirepower.com logo is a trademark of this website and is protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. On Nov. 1, three Algerian citizens were killed in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Dr. Mohamed Chtatou is a Professor of MENA region area studies at Universit Internationale de Rabat -UIR- and of Education at Universit Mohammed V in Rabat, as well. "Algeria has obviously said it can replace the supplies to Spain through the Medgaz pipeline. As for Algeria, it is, also, an important partner of the European Union, but it is deeply marked by its history of a long period of French colonization (1830-1962). Who would win a war between Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Niger, and Chad vs Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Tanzania? Since 1975, the dominant issue between the two countries has been the conflict in Western Sahara.After the former colonial power Spain withdrew its forces and handed control of the territory to Morocco and Mauritania, Algeria threw its support behind the local Sahrawi people's claims for self-determination and the Polisario movement fighting on their behalf. But the fundamentals remain the same: political contradictions between the two regimes, rein? This was first seen in the territorial dispute that led to the confrontation between the Algerian army and the royal army in 1963 during the Sands War (1963-1964). And that the careers of Algerian and Moroccan security officials, some of whom were recently appointed, are marked by the Sahrawi question and therefore by antagonism with the neighbor. [37] While Castro had hoped to keep Cuba's intervention covert, and a number of the Cuban personnel wore Algerian uniforms, they were observed by French military and diplomatic staff in Oran and word of their presence soon leaked to the Western press. War in the Sahara: 1963 by Karen Farsoun and Jim Paul The 1976 conflict between Algeria and Morocco recapitulates in many ways the earlier Saharan war of 1963. Britain formally established a protectorate over Egypt in 1914. Sand War - Wikipedia In the eyes of the Algerian regime, there is the blessed Hirak, the one that put an end to the mafia-like excesses of the presidency of Abdelaziz Bouteflika (1999-2019), and the cursed Hirak, the one that demands a change of regime and which would be supported according to the Algerian military regime by Imperialist-Zionist forces. In order to understand what is at stake, it is worth reflecting on several points: - First, for there to be a war, there must be two opposing camps, either alone as countries or in coalition with other allies. The borders around this region were loosely defined. Syria says Aleppo airport forced to shut after Israeli airstrike; 1 soldier killed, Israel falling far behind its own global warming emissions targets, McCarthy extols ties at Knesset, vows full support for Israeli security against Iran, Government agency warns judicial uncertainty will damage tech ecosystem, Knesset summer session opens with slugging match over judicial overhaul, Levin accuses US administration of cooperating with judicial overhaul opponents. [29], Despite internal discontent with the Algerian government, most of the country supported the war effort, which Algerians generally perceived as an act of Moroccan aggression. For Mediterranean and Atlantic leaders, it wants to be the bridge of communication, information and understanding between cultures. Algeria has been using the Gaz-Maghreb-Europe pipeline (GME) for the past 25 years to deliver natural gas to Spain and Portugal via Morocco. Thus, the tone rises again between the North African brothers who have historically always maintained a stormy relationship. For foreign chancelleries, there are no compelling reasons for the unilateral severance of diplomatic relations decreed by Algiers on 24 August. The Algerian government is taking this case particularly seriously since it is firmly opposed to any desire for independence from Kabylia, an Amazigh/ Berber-speaking region in northeast Algeria. At first glance, it is easy to believe that they are similar in every way. November 2020 unleashed pandora's box following the military intervention in Guerguerat and Washington's recognition of Rabat's sovereignty over Western Sahara.