There are narratives we repeat endlessly, slogans waved like banners to seduce, and seduce again—until the lie becomes almost truth. In recent years, Morocco has positioned itself as a supposed champion of Pan-Africanism, multiplying diplomatic gestures, royal visits, and economic agreements across sub-Saharan Africa. But behind this carefully maintained façade, what does this influence strategy truly conceal? How can a kingdom with such an ambiguous foreign policy claim to embody the deep aspirations of the African continent—especially those of the Sahel?
Morocco’s Shadow Over the Sahel
The Sahelian countries, plagued by terrorism for over a decade, are seeking out various partners in the hope of achieving stability. Among them, Morocco has emerged as a regional interlocutor, claiming to offer its expertise, support, and “African solidarity.” But isn’t it paradoxical—or even cynical—to see Rabat playing the savior in a crisis that, according to several observers, it may have covertly helped to create?
How else can one explain the rise and persistence of terrorist groups like MUJAO without acknowledging the opaque financial circuits that sustain them? The drug trade—particularly Moroccan hashish that flows through West Africa—is one of the main sources of funding for these organizations. Without these routes, armed groups would lack both the logistics and the endurance to spread terror from Gao to Ouagadougou. And who controls these circuits? What state interests protect or manipulate them? Inevitably, attention turns to the northwest.
The accusations leveled against Algeria or the Polisario in the creation of MUJAO collapse under scrutiny. The brutal assassination of Algerian vice-consul Tahar Touati, as well as that of Algerian consul Boualem Saïes in Gao in 2012, is a stark reminder that these groups target Algeria—they are not its accomplices. Algeria, far removed from intrigue, has forged through painful experience a genuine capacity for counterterrorism—one it has pursued alone, without external aid, and continues to uphold with unwavering resolve.
Rabat’s Murky Game
Meanwhile, Rabat moves its pieces forward. Moroccan companies—often French-funded entities operating under local cover—are setting up in Abidjan, Dakar, and Bamako. Under the guise of South-South cooperation, a far more neocolonial agenda is unfolding. Decisions are made in Paris, but execution is outsourced to a Moroccan front, offering the illusion of African autonomy. It is no longer yesterday’s colonizer, but a clever successor, masquerading as an African partner.
History, too, delivers its verdict. One cannot forget King Hassan II’s ties with the apartheid regime in South Africa, nor Morocco’s direct involvement in the assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. Even today, Morocco’s Pan-Africanist rhetoric rings as a cynical dissonance when weighed against the reality of its alliances, actions, and diplomatic choices.
A Malian Junta Held Hostage
Mali's current predicament starkly illustrates this Moroccan strategy. Isolated on the international stage and weakened by a fragile legitimacy, the ruling junta in Bamako is desperately seeking support. Morocco, along with the United Arab Emirates, extends a hand. But at what cost? The price of alignment with an agenda that bears no resemblance to the aspirations of the Malian people. The price of a new form of submission, where national interests are sacrificed at the altar of a tenuous political survival.
The People’s Choice
It is now up to the peoples of the Sahel — and the Malian people in particular — to open their eyes to the web of deception being spun in the heart of their capitals. History, relentless and unyielding, will one day separate truth from fiction. And when that day comes — hopefully not too late — the veil of manipulation will be torn aside, and the people will finally see who stands as a true ally, and who hides behind a mask of false solidarity.
Yes, Africa needs solidarity — but not just any solidarity. It needs a solidarity that is real, rooted in justice, anchored in the respect for sovereignty, and committed to the shared struggle against every form of interference, no matter how insidious.
In this context, Morocco shamelessly cloaks itself in the garb of pan-Africanism, playing a theatrical role on a geopolitical stage where interests reign supreme over principles. But, as in every tragedy, the mask inevitably slips. The Cherifian kingdom only adopts a pan-African posture out of opportunism, using it as a façade to serve a singular obsession: attacking Algeria.
It has become almost grotesque—if not outright pathetic—to witness Moroccan nationals joining demonstrations alongside Malians in European capitals, not to defend Mali, but to spew venom at Algeria, accusing it of imperialist ambitions. Even more troubling is the fact that some, consumed by hostility, have gone so far as to express support for France in its diplomatic crisis with Algeria. This stands as a glaring contradiction: how can one claim to defend Mali against an Algeria supposedly under French tutelage, while simultaneously siding with France against Algeria? Worse still, how can one align with the racist rhetoric of the French far-right, targeting Algerians in France and Muslims in general?
In contrast to this incoherence, Algeria has remained steadfast in its principles. Since 1963, it has consistently defended Mali’s unity and territorial integrity—even when faced with repeated appeals from Azawad to join Algerian territory. This is the mark of a genuine and unwavering commitment to African solidarity.
While falsehoods are spread with alarming ease, Algeria continues to act — supplying fuel, food, and humanitarian aid to Mali. Yet it is demonized, while Morocco, which has done virtually nothing for Mali, is hailed as a savior.
Let there be no mistake: these hostile gestures will not shake Algeria’s solidarity with Mali. That bond is deeper than political maneuvering, stronger than propaganda. Mali remains, in Algeria’s eyes, a brotherly nation — and no campaign of lies will ever erase that unshakable truth.
By Belgacem Merbah
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