Morocco, France, and the Quest for Geopolitical Innocence in Africa: A Smear Campaign Against Algeria

For several days now, the media and diplomatic landscape of the Sahel has been roiled by a series of flamboyant statements, the most resounding of which came from former Malian Prime Minister Dr. Choguel Kokalla Maïga. In a speech dated April 9, 2025, he launched a scathing attack against Algeria, accusing it of duplicity in its Sahel policy. But what is this tirade really worth, if not a carefully orchestrated distraction? More importantly, who is pulling the strings behind this African stage play? One truth stands out: those who rail against Algiers are, whether knowingly or not, serving the agendas of powers that have never relinquished their grip on the continent.

A Moroccan Attempt to Rewrite African History

For several years now, Morocco has been relentlessly active on the African diplomatic front, seeking to portray itself as a benevolent and selfless power. But beneath the polished rhetoric of South-South cooperation and continental integration lies a cold, calculated strategy: to become the obedient relay of French policy in Africa, at the expense of the sovereignty of African peoples.

Moroccan investments, often cited as evidence of economic leadership, are in reality thinly veiled expressions of neo-colonial capitalism. The banks, telecom companies, and construction firms establishing themselves in Bamako or Abidjan are frequently majority-owned by large French corporations. The flag may be Moroccan, but the heart beats in Paris. This is Françafrique 2.0, with Rabat serving as little more than a Trojan horse for French ambitions.

The Height of Irony: When the Vassal Accuses the Sentinel of Freedom

That Morocco—perennial auxiliary to France—would dare accuse Algeria of subservience to imperialism borders on boundless hypocrisy. Must we be reminded that Moroccan troops—the infamous goumiers—were the zealous auxiliaries of French colonial forces in their brutal campaigns across Africa and the Levant? Did Emmanuel Macron not publicly praise their “stabilizing” role in Africa during his speech at the Moroccan Parliament, thus reaffirming Morocco’s historic role as a vehicle of neo-colonial projection?

When Algeria barred French military aircraft from flying over its territory, it was Moroccan airspace and airports that facilitated Western operations in the Sahel. That is the stark reality: the vassal dares accuse the resistant.

Algeria: The Mecca of Revolutionaries, the Sentinel of Peoples

No one has the right to forget—or to distort—what Algeria has been and continues to be: the Mecca of revolutionaries, in the immortal words of Amílcar Cabral. Since winning its independence in a bloody struggle, Algeria has unfailingly extended its hand to liberation movements. The Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC), Angola’s MPLA, Guinea-Bissau’s PAIGC—all found in Algiers a sanctuary, a weapon, a friend, a source of hope.

Algeria never bartered its commitment. It welcomed leaders, trained fighters, armed insurgents, and financed just causes. How dare one compare this legacy of resistance, independence, and dignity to a monarchy that, during Africa’s darkest hours, collaborated with colonizers, betrayed liberation struggles, and derided the Organization of African Unity, dismissing its members as mere “drummers”? A vile insult to the entire continent, forever etched in the memory of those who continue the fight for a free Africa.

Morocco’s Shadow over the Assassination of Lumumba

Among the most shameful betrayals in the continent’s modern history stands Morocco’s alleged role in the events leading to the assassination of Patrice Lumumba—panafrican hero and martyr of Congolese independence. Various historical archives and scholarly studies have pointed to silent complicity, clandestine maneuvering, and backroom dealings in which Rabat may have played a part, facilitating the actions of Belgian and Western intelligence services. The man who sought to restore dignity and sovereignty to the Congo was crushed—with the aid of regimes desperate to remain in the good graces of the West.

Algeria Remains True to Its Principles: Neither Vassal Nor Accomplice

Contrary to malicious insinuations, Algeria has remained steadfast in its convictions. It proved this recently by vehemently opposing a military intervention by ECOWAS in Niger in 2023. It proved this by refusing to play along with the cynical games of powers intent on recolonization. It proved this by being a strong, free, and independent voice in a world where convictions are too often traded for oil or arms deals.

The True Face of Propaganda

The real scandal lies elsewhere: while certain regimes attempt to reclaim a veneer of moral legitimacy by falsely accusing Algeria, they surrender themselves body and soul to the very forces that plundered and ravaged Africa. The strategy is crystal clear: attack Algiers to distract from their own servitude.

But the African people are not fooled. History will be the judge. And in the tribunal of memory, Algeria has nothing to hide. It has never betrayed. It has never yielded.

Conclusion: Africa for Africans

The time for deception, subterfuge, and double-dealing is over. Africa deserves governance that is free, dignified, and sovereign. The age of puppeteers, puppets, and shameful alliances must end.

And in this rising Africa, Algeria will always stand with the people—never with the empires.

---

By Belgacem Merbah