Gara Djebilet Mega Project: Why has this initiative become a focal point for Moroccan media? Does Morocco truly have a legitimate claim? And is the 1972 convention genuinely binding upon Algeria?
Since the Algerian government resolved to revive the strategic Gara Djebilet mining project (1), Moroccan media—both official and unofficial—has hastened to seize upon the subject, invoking an alleged “historical right” of Morocco over this deposit. According to the narrative advanced by Rabat, King Hassan II purportedly accepted the demarcation of borders between Morocco and Algeria in exchange for a usufructuary right over the Gara Djebilet mine. Yet, the instruments duly signed and ratified by both States tell an entirely different story (2). This article will revisit that point in detail, with the aim of dismantling Moroccan propaganda designed for domestic consumption—propaganda intended to perpetuate the illusion of a return to a bygone grandeur… which, in truth, never existed. Before addressing Morocco’s assertions, let us first outline the Gara Djebilet mega-project: what does it entail? 1) The Gara Djebilet mega project in a nutshell: The Gara Djebilet mine, located in Algeria...