The dismantling, in the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou, of a criminal group belonging to the terrorist movement known as the MAK is not merely a routine security incident. It is a warning signal—a serious, stark, and unmistakable reminder that the threats facing Algeria are neither imaginary nor exaggerated, nor simply the product of patriotic rhetoric that some are quick to ridicule.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of National Defence (MDN) on Monday, July 13, Army security services, acting on effectively exploited intelligence, succeeded in dismantling a group of six individuals affiliated with the MAK. Among them were four Moroccan nationals residing illegally on Algerian territory.
This detail is far from insignificant. In fact, it is central to the matter. It raises a question that many prefer to avoid confronting directly: how can foreign nationals living illegally in the country become involved, according to the authorities, in a structure linked to a movement classified as terrorist, operating in a region as sensitive as Kabylia during an electoral period?
An Operation Confirming the Importance of Intelligence
The operation carried out in Tizi Ouzou first and foremost highlights the vigilance of Algeria’s security services. The MDN statement emphasized the decisive role of intelligence in identifying, monitoring, and neutralizing the group before it could achieve its objectives.
The arrested individuals were allegedly active during the legislative elections, with the aim of disrupting the electoral process and preventing citizens from exercising their right to vote. In other words, this was not simply a case of clandestine presence or isolated activities, but rather an alleged attempt to interfere with a major institutional event.
In any sovereign state, elections constitute a sensitive moment. They involve the legitimacy of institutions, political stability, and public confidence. Attempting to undermine such a process means directly targeting the very foundations of the state.
The Presence of Moroccan Nationals: A Significant Fact
The presence of four Moroccan nationals among the six arrested individuals gives this case a particular dimension. This is not about making sweeping generalizations or confusing nationality with collective guilt. Responsibility must be established individually by the courts on the basis of facts, evidence, and due legal process.
However, it would be equally irresponsible to pretend that this fact is meaningless.
Algeria operates in a tense regional environment marked by geopolitical rivalries, destabilization campaigns, cross-border trafficking, criminal networks, and hostile influence operations. In such a context, the issue of foreign nationals residing illegally on Algerian territory can no longer be treated lightly.
Those who, until recently, mocked security concerns and dismissed them as paranoid or excessive should now show a degree of humility. Facts, unlike opinions, do not engage in polemics. They impose themselves.
The Belgacem Merbah Letter: A Warning Issued in 2023
This affair strongly echoes the letter I addressed to the President of the Republic in 2023. In that letter, written in a solemn tone, I expressed concern regarding the significant presence of Moroccan nationals in Algeria, particularly those residing illegally within the country.
I warned of several risks: possible infiltration by hostile networks, alleged links between certain Moroccan entities and foreign intelligence services, drug trafficking, illicit currency transfers, human trafficking, and the gradual erosion of national security.
My letter raised an uncomfortable but necessary question: can a state remain passive in the face of unmanaged human flows, especially when certain individuals may be exploited by criminal, political, or intelligence networks?
At the time, many preferred to look away. Some ridiculed such warnings. Others chose the comfort of indifference. Still others took refuge in a naïve discourse incapable of distinguishing genuine humanism from dangerous security blindness.
Today, the Tizi Ouzou affair compels us to revisit that letter from a different perspective.
The Dance of Hypocrisy
Here we are: the dance of hypocrisy begins.
Yesterday, when voices warned about the dangers of illegal immigration, cross-border networks, and potential infiltration, they were accused of exaggeration. They were told to remain silent. They were labeled alarmists. Empty moralizing speeches, often disconnected from security realities, were used to dismiss their concerns.
Today, when security services announce the dismantling of a group affiliated with the MAK, composed largely of Moroccan nationals residing illegally in the country, many of those same critics suddenly recognize the seriousness of the issue.
But it is too easy to lament the consequences after refusing to heed the warnings.
Algeria cannot afford the luxury of naivety. It cannot manage national security through slogans. It cannot leave its borders, institutions, and social fabric exposed to hybrid threats in the name of irresponsible idealism.
A Multidimensional Threat
The Tizi Ouzou case highlights a reality that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: threats to Algeria are no longer merely military or conventional. They are also clandestine, informational, criminal, political, and psychological.
They may operate through:
- Trafficking networks;
- Uncontrolled irregular migration flows;
- Instrumentalized separatist groups;
- Propaganda campaigns;
- Hostile digital platforms and networks;
- Attempts to disrupt elections;
- Influence operations targeting national cohesion.
These are precisely the types of threats I warned about in my letter. The issue was never solely about migration. It was about an interconnected chain of risks: infiltration, criminality, illicit financing, disinformation, provocation, and threats to national stability.
The Need for a Firm, Legal, and Transparent Response
Faced with such challenges, the state’s response must be firm. But it must also be methodical, lawful, and transparent.
The objective is not to collectively stigmatize populations. The objective is to protect the nation from irregular networks, individuals involved in hostile activities, criminal structures, and foreign interference mechanisms.
Algeria must strengthen:
- Border control;
- Identification of individuals residing illegally in the country;
- The fight against trafficking networks;
- Monitoring of suspicious financial flows;
- Coordination among security services;
- Judicial oversight of sensitive cases;
- Public communication to avoid ambiguity and misinformation.
National security is not defended by force alone. It is also defended through vigilance, anticipation, and institutional rigor.
Those Who Warned Were Not Extremists—They Saw the Danger Coming
The current affair should encourage deeper reflection. For too long, any warning concerning risks linked to irregular migration, clandestine Moroccan networks, or regional interference has been immediately dismissed by certain circles as excessive rhetoric.
Yet recent history demonstrates that states which fail to take weak signals seriously often end up suffering crises that could have been prevented.
My letter spoke of a moral and historical duty. It emphasized commitment to the higher interests of the Nation and the need to protect Algeria’s security, dignity, and cohesion. One may debate its tone, wording, or proposals. But it is no longer possible to dismiss the substance of its concerns.
What was once portrayed as an isolated warning now aligns with a major national question: how can Algeria prevent its territory from being used by hostile, criminal, or subversive networks?
Conclusion: Algeria Must Choose Vigilance Over Naivety
The dismantling of the group linked to the MAK in Tizi Ouzou constitutes a clear warning. It reminds us that Algeria’s stability is never permanently guaranteed. It must be protected, monitored, and defended.
The presence, according to the MDN, of four Moroccan nationals residing illegally within this alleged subversive group has reignited debate over border control, illegal immigration, transnational networks, and hybrid threats.
Those who sounded the alarm should not be treated as troublemakers. They raised a question that current events have made impossible to ignore: how much longer can blindness be tolerated in the name of a false sense of security?
Algeria cannot afford to be naïve. It cannot afford to lower its guard. It cannot afford to wait until threats become tragedies before taking action.
Enlightened patriotism is not hatred. Vigilance is not extremism. Firmness is not injustice.
It is the most basic duty of a sovereign state toward its people, its territory, and its future.
✍️ Belgacem Merbah
Algerian patriot, free in his writing as in his convictions.
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