“Morocco is France’s only reliable ally in the Maghreb”

After this visit to Algeria from August 25 to 27, which was highly resented in Morocco, the French president announced an official visit to the kingdom the following October. The rivalry between Morocco and Algeria has lasted more than half a century and is increasingly threatening the security of the region. With jihadism gaining momentum in the Sahel, France, which has withdrawn its forces from Mali, needs reliable allies in the region to effectively combat the phenomenon.

Read: For France, Morocco “an important partner”

Instead of trying an almost impossible reconciliation between Morocco and Algeria, France could find in Morocco a reliable ally, as the US has done since December 2020, and more recently Germany and Spain. Remember, on August 20, during his speech on the Revolution Day of the King and the People, Mohammed VI clearly stated that “the Sahara issue is the prism through which Morocco views its international environment.” Marianne.

Read: Emmanuel Macron expected in Morocco in late October

France could have it all with Morocco if it got out of its ambiguous position in the Sahara. Changing its stance on this critical issue should strengthen its strategic and security presence in West Africa, facilitate police cooperation with the kingdom in the fight against jihadism and illegal immigration, and increase Franco-Moroccan economic exchanges. According to Hadrien Desuin, author of “La France atlantiste”, France no longer “has to hesitate” between “Algeria, which has an anti-French government, and Morocco, which only awaits a signal from us in the Sahara”.