The two countries have had strained relations for decades over Algeria’s support for the separatist Polisario Front.
Rabat – French President Emmanuel Macron has ruled out the possibility of a war between Algeria and Morocco in an interview with French outlet Le Point.
Speaking to Algerian writer Kamel Daoud, Macron said he does not want to believe the two countries would go to war “because neither Algeria or Morocco are irrational powers.”
“The tension between the two countries is there and it is real,” Macron said. “What is alarming is when the tension becomes the structure of the national fact and political life in both countries.”
“I don’t believe that a war is a reality that would happen,” he said.
The French president also lamented the “distance” that he saw being created as a result of war speculation from some, adding that he even sees “the will to go to war” in some other people.
While relations between Morocco and Algeria have been strained for decades mostly due to Algeria’s support for the separatist Polisario Front, recent years have seen significant escalations.
In August 2021, Algiers unilaterally cut all ties with Rabat, accusing Morocco of being behind wildfires that consumed Algerian forests.
Morocco denied the allegations and offered “brotherly dialogue” to settle decades-long divergences. But the Algerian regime ignored the Moroccan offer, choosing instead to further fuel hostilities by closing its airspace to Morocco and accusing the kingdom of conspiring to undermine Algerian interests and “sabotage Algerian democracy.”
In his interview with Le Point, Macron also said that France will not apologize to Algeria for its colonization, saying that there is “no need” to ask for forgiveness.
Source: Morocco World News
