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Morocco World
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Egypt Rejects Algeria's Invitation to Join Military Drill Involving Polisario
Rabat – Facing growing isolation, Algeria's regime continues its attempts to strengthen its alliances, inviting a group of countries to take part in a military drill that involves the Polisario Front, its-backed separatist group that threatens regional stability due to its connection with terrorist and drug trafficking networks. Converging reports said Egypt is among the several countries that Algeria's regime extended an invitation to for the military drill dubbed Peace Africa 3, which will take place in Algeria from May 21-27. The inclusion of the Polisario sparks cause for concern, as the group has been facing backlash for its terrorist acts and attempts, and is currently facing demands to be designated as a terrorist group. The Atlantic Observatory for Defense and Armament quoted on Sunday its sources, reporting that Egypt refused Algeria's invitation to take part in the military activity due to Polisario's presence. The report came as Morocco and Egypt continue to pledge efforts seeking to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. Sunday marked the kick-off of the Egypt-Morocco Investment and Trade Forum, convening representatives from the two countries to discuss ways to boost trade. The Moroccan delegation targets $500 million in Moroccan exports to Egypt in 2026. In September 2024, the two countries also expressed their commitment to working together to boost bilateral ties at all levels. The two countries recalled this determination during the 162nd session of the Arab League Council's ministers, stressing their willingness to keep the 'strong bonds of brotherhood uniting the leaders of the two brotherly countries and peoples, as well as their constant mutual solidarity, shared destiny and common objectives.' Egypt has been frequently renewing its constant support for the UN-led political process to resolve the Western Sahara dispute. In 2022, former Egyptian ambassador to Morocco Yasser Mustafa Kamal Othman reaffirmed his country's stance, noting that Cairo does not recognize Polisario's self-styled SADR. He added that Egypt does not establish any ties with the separatist group and does not wish to see its position interpreted or questioned, stressing his country's support for Morocco's territorial integrity. The remarks come as the Polisario and Algeria are on the quest for finding more alliances and partnerships to support their interference in Morocco's domestic affairs, challenging the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara. Former Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Choukri reaffirmed his country's unchanged stance during a meeting with Morocco's Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita, confirming that the position Egypt has long adopted , and insisting that the country has not and will never recognize Polisario. Tags: egypt and moroccoMorocco and Egypt uprising
Morocco World
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Algeria Completes New Military Air Base Near Moroccan Border
Doha – The Algerian military has unveiled its latest act of aggression, completing a new air base in Oum el Assel, brazenly positioned just 72 kilometers from the Moroccan border, according to reports from the Atlantic Observatory for Defense and Armament (AODA). Positioned menacingly near Tindouf at coordinates 28°52'55″N, 5°49'10″W, the base represents the latest escalation in Algeria's relentless militarization campaign targeting Morocco's eastern border, intensifying an already volatile situation in a blatant show of force. Satellite imagery exposed by AODA reveals two Russian-made MiG-29M2 fighter jets, armed with air-to-air missiles, poised in attack-ready positions at the facility, leaving no doubt about Algeria's hostile intentions. This provocative war machine includes extensive ammunition depots and combat infrastructure purposefully designed to accommodate additional Sukhoi warplanes, with runways specifically extended for aggressive military operations. The warmongering installation features an intrusive early warning radar station looming north of the main facility at coordinates 28°53'53″N, 5°47'22″W and 28°53'34″N, 5°46'48″W, establishing an aggressive surveillance presence aimed directly at Moroccan territory. Battle tanks have been deliberately transferred from Tindouf camps to fortify this threatening outpost, which emerged in late 2021 as part of Algeria's calculated military aggression against Morocco. Operating under Algeria's 3rd Military Region, the Oum el Assel base serves as just one piece in an alarming network of 25 military installations deliberately positioned to threaten Morocco's sovereignty. This aggressive military encirclement includes anti-aircraft batteries, artillery strongholds, armored divisions, and multiple combat-ready facilities, all strategically placed within striking distance of Moroccan territory, some provocatively stationed mere kilometers from the border. Read also: Morocco and Algeria: Neighbors Bound by History, But Doomed to Rivalry? Algeria's belligerent posturing extends well beyond its aggressive moves against Morocco. In a recent display of regional bullying, Algerian forces shot down a Malian drone and shut down their airspace to Mali, igniting a diplomatic crisis with the Sahel States Alliance. The timing of this military escalation appears deliberately orchestrated to coincide with legitimate French-Moroccan military exercises planned for September in Errachidia. Algeria's diplomatic corps has issued thinly veiled threats regarding these defensive exercises, codenamed 'Chergui 2025,' exposing its pattern of aggressive interference in sovereign military cooperation between other countries. This menacing military installation underscores Algeria's broader strategy of regional destabilization, exemplified by its web of approximately twenty air and ground bases concentrated near Moroccan territory. This includes two military bases with anti-aircraft defenses just 8 kilometers from the border, logistics barracks at 6 and 10 kilometers, infantry and artillery bases, an armored base with bunkers at 35 kilometers, and multiple other combat installations stretched along the frontier. The strategic placement and offensive capabilities of these facilities expose Algeria's unmistakable hostile intent, with systematic deployment of combat forces and surveillance systems targeting Morocco. Algeria's accelerating militarization campaign continues despite Morocco's persistent efforts to maintain regional stability and Rabat's mounting diplomatic successes in the Western Sahara dossier. Observers note that this systematic pattern of provocative military deployments risks igniting a comprehensive regional conflict that would not only affect Morocco but would spread throughout the African Sahel region. Algeria's military generals, having lost influence in the Sahel, appear to be pursuing what analysts describe as a suicidal strategy to cover up their diplomatic and military failures. The regime seems intent on psychologically preparing Algerian public opinion for direct confrontation with neighboring countries, after its stubborn stance and sequential aggressive behavior has already transformed three-quarters of Algeria's land borders into potential conflict zones. Tags: Algerian MilitaryMorocco Algeria borders
