In a new escalation of tensions, Algeria announced on Thursday, September 26, that it will impose visa requirements on Moroccan nationals, accusing holders of Moroccan passports of involvement in criminal activities, including “Zionist espionage.”
This decision marks a further downturn in relations between the North African neighbours.
The statement, published by Algeria’s official APS news agency, claimed that Morocco had engaged in actions threatening Algeria’s stability. Algeria accused its neighbour of allowing “Zionist espionage agents holding Moroccan passports” to enter its territory and conducting “multiple networks of organized crime, drug and human trafficking, as well as smuggling and illegal immigration.”
This comes after authorities in Tlemcen, Algeria, reported the arrest of seven individuals, including four Moroccans, accused of being part of a spy ring earlier this month. Algeria also accused Morocco of supporting the Berber separatist movement MAK in Algeria.
Diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed in August 2021, following Morocco’s normalization of relations with Israel after then-U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. The two nations have been at odds for decades, particularly over the status of Western Sahara, a disputed territory largely controlled by Morocco but backed by Algeria’s Polisario Front, which campaigns for its independence.
Although there are no direct flights between Algeria and Morocco, travel had previously been visa-free for citizens of both countries. Algeria expressed its commitment to maintaining ties with the “brotherly” Moroccan people but blamed Rabat’s authorities for the worsening diplomatic relations.
Morocco is yet to respond to Algeria’s latest move.