Morocco and Sahel countries meet, amid tensions with Algeria
Relations between Sahel countries and Algeria have reached a new low, since Algeria shot down a drone which it claimed had entered its territory from Mali, prompting a diplomatic reset in the entire region.
Envoys from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso visited King Mohammed VI in Rabat, amid growing tensions between the three Sahel States and Algeria, says Le Monde on April 29th.
During the audience, the three ministers presented “the institutional and operational progress” of the recently created Alliance of Sahel States, as well as their total support for Morocco’s Atlantic initiative for Sahel.
The initiative, which seeks to link Sahel landlocked countries with Morocco’s ports, was launched by Rabat in 2023 after ECOWAS imposed sanctions on the three junta-led countries – thereby isolating them from the ECOWAS maritime facade.
For Rabat, the incentive is twofold; The kingdom plans to become a major player in the region as it is already a privileged trade partner with sub-saharan countries, with Moroccan exports growing from $300 million to $3 billion between 2004 and 2024.
It also hopes economic development can become a leeway to curb instability in the Sahel region, which has become a hot spot for arm trades, some of them fueling the Polisario Front’s insurgency in Western Sahara – a territory Rabat claims.
Additionally, the meeting comes at a crucial time, with relations between the Sahel countries and Algeria reaching their lowest, after Algeria shot a Malian drone near its border, prompting the withdrawal of Sahel countries ambassadors from Algeria.
Algeria, which has always considered Sahel to be its backyard, is accused by Bamako of supporting jihadist groups in the region.
However, the project relies on cooperation from Mauritania which stands in between Morocco and Mali. The country has already signed an agreement to connect its electricity grid with Morocco, a stepping stone to the initiative.
Yet Mauritania is also concerned about the potential loss of influence of its own Atlantic port: its capital Nouakchott. It has also been wary of remaining neutral in Algeria and Morocco’s historical feud, as shows its recent refusal to join the New Maghreb Union which excludes Morocco.
A former Malian minister shared his doubts on the initiative.
“Whether they want it or not, [Sahel countries] cannot turn their back to Algeria, which shares kilometres of borders with Mali and Niger”, he said, adding that Morocco can play a role but “eventually, we will have to sit down and negotiate with Algeria”.
Le Monde, Maghrebi.
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