ALGERIAN PATRIOTS - ENGLISH

France’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara is neither a mere diplomatic adjustment nor an act of pragmatic realism. It is a profound strategic miscalculation—one that reflects a flawed understanding of power dynamics in the Maghreb and a significant misreading of the Algerian state , its vital interests, and its stabilizing role in the region. In seeking what it perceived as a comfortable partnership with Rabat, Paris underestimated a fundamental reality: Western Sahara represents an absolute red line for Algeria , touching simultaneously upon its historical doctrine, its national security, and the regional balance of power in the face of Moroccan territorial ambitions . I. Western Sahara: Algeria’s Non‑Negotiable Vital Interest Contrary to the dominant European view, which reduces Western Sahara to a localized territorial dispute, Algeria regards it as an existential issue embedded in its post‑independence strategic doctrine. 1. A doctrinal constant root...

Since the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797 , the Western Sahara file has entered a new phase—one marked less by legal progress than by an intensified battle of narratives. Morocco, supported by certain Western diplomatic circles, has sought to portray its autonomy plan as a definitive, irreversible solution endowed with international legitimacy. Yet a careful reading of the resolution, combined with a strict application of international law , reveals a far more sobering reality: the conflict remains legally unresolved, and Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has never been established.   Official and unofficial accounts of the Madrid talks converge on a fundamental point often obscured by Moroccan discourse: the United States failed to impose the autonomy plan as the sole outcome of the negotiations. The Sahrawi side , backed by Algeria, maintained a firm and principled stance centered on the right to self-determination as the cornerstone of any ...

Morocco’s decision to construct one of its largest strategic dams in Figuig , only a few kilometers from the Algerian border, is neither accidental nor driven by purely domestic development considerations. It is a calculated and hostile political act, aimed at establishing unilateral control over shared transboundary water resources , in flagrant disregard of international law and the most basic principles of good-neighborly relations. The so-called “Khenk Kro” Dam, with a storage capacity exceeding one billion cubic meters and an estimated cost of approximately 120 million US dollars, is officially presented by Rabat as a cornerstone of its “water security strategy.” In reality, it constitutes a direct threat to Algeria’s water, environmental, agricultural, and human security, particularly in the region of Béni Ounif, as well as Béchar and the wider south-western Algerian territories. From a legal standpoint, this project represents a serious breach of international norms governing s...

The consultations held in Madrid on the Western Sahara dossier—under direct U.S. stewardship—signal a qualitative shift in how the file is being managed: Washington is increasingly setting the pace while the United Nations recedes to an observer role, according to convergent coverage from Spanish, regional, and international outlets.  1) An unprecedented framework: Washington “leads,” the UN observes Multiple reputable outlets report that on February 8, 2026 , a closed‑door meeting took place inside the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, gathering four high‑level delegations—Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front—with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura present more as an observer than as the driver, while U.S. officials Massad Boulos (special representative for Africa) and Michael Waltz (U.S. ambassador to the UN) ran point. The Madrid session followed a first, secret 48‑hour contact in Washington roughly two weeks earlier—an unmistakable sign that the U.S. has moved from “facilitator...

Beyond the silent palm groves and the wadis with contested names, the Algerian-Moroccan border remains one of the places where history, law, and security intersect with the greatest intensity. Ksar Ich , following El Arja and Oued Zelmou , is not an accident: it is a symptom. A symptom of a line inherited and legally recognized, yet materially incomplete; and also of a discreet but constant front against cross-border trafficking that undermines sovereignty and threatens regional stability. A Border Episode Laden with Symbolism The events reported in early February 2026 in the Ksar Ich sector, on the edge of Figuig , immediately stirred collective memory. Placement of markers, removal of fences, nocturnal aerial shots—the sequence, primarily reported by Moroccan media, was described as a “provocation.” On the Algerian side, there were no loud political statements, no verbal escalations. Only a constant: the securing of the national border amidst heightened criminal pressures. It is im...

In Mohammed VI – The Mystery , Thierry Oberlé conducts a dense and perceptive investigation into one of the most enigmatic monarchs of the contemporary world. Through thirty years of observations, interviews, and on‑the‑ground reporting, the journalist reveals a paradoxical figure: a king who appears modern, yet remains the heir to an absolute power shaped by centuries of Sharifian monarchy. The book is at once an intimate portrait, a political deep dive, and a narrative of Morocco’s ambiguous transformation. A discreet, elusive, yet omnipresent sovereign Mohammed VI is a mysterious king, nearly silent in the media. He gives no interviews, never improvises, and keeps his distance from political debates. His authority rests more on sacredness, monarchical symbolism, religious heritage, and the staging of power than on public expression. The book describes a monarch uncomfortable with the day‑to‑day exercise of power, preferring to delegate to historical advisers (El Himma, Majidi, Manso...

The dual launch of operations at the Gara Djebilet mine and the 950‑kilometre Tindouf–Béchar railway line has triggered an unusual wave of reactions, emotions, and commentary—far beyond economic and technical circles. This surge is neither random nor exaggerated: it reflects issues of sovereignty, historical memory, regional propaganda, and strategic projection that go far beyond the simple scope of an infrastructure project. 1. A project that cracks an old irredentist narrative For decades, part of the Moroccan propaganda machine —carried by media outlets close to the royal palace—has promoted the idea of an alleged “Moroccan identity” of the Algerian wilayas of Béchar and Tindouf . This narrative deliberately ignores international legal realities, including the 1972 Algeria–Morocco border treaty , which has been ratified, registered, and submitted to the United Nations . Yet Algeria does more than simply assert its rights: it brings them to life on the ground. By investing billions ...

For several months now, a well‑identified group of Moroccan commentators—among them Rachid Achichi and other self‑proclaimed “experts” in economics and geopolitics—has been devoting disproportionate energy to challenging the way Algeria’s GDP is calculated. This repetitive and often approximate fixation says less about Algeria’s economic reality than about Morocco’s strategic unease in the face of shifting regional power dynamics. 1. Algeria’s GDP: a controlled accounting framework, not a political invention Contrary to the recurring insinuations, Algeria’s GDP is neither improvised data nor an ideological construction. It is established in accordance with the System of National Accounts (SNA), a universal international framework, and is subject to external audits, verifications and validations conducted by international financial institutions. The more accurate integration of the informal economy —common practice in most emerging countries—is a methodological rebasing exercise, not...

In recent months, some have rushed to label what is unfolding between Algeria and Morocco as “ fitna ,” as though merely naming realities, exposing threats, or defending national security were in itself a dangerous deviation worthy of reproach. Yet this accusation is, in truth, the very essence of fitna. For fitna, in its deepest political and moral sense, does not lie in the word that illuminates, but in the silence that conceals. It is not born from denouncing falsehood, but from normalizing it. It does not grow out of vigilance, but out of deliberate blindness draped in the illusion of wisdom. Fitna is not the act of speaking the truth, but the act of burying it. To portray every warning about the threats facing Algeria as an incitement to discord is to criminalize clarity itself. It is to reduce fitna to the realm of speech while absolving conduct—even when that conduct directly destabilizes the region. History, and Algeria’s history in particular, teaches that silence in the f...

AFCON 2025 will remain one of the most controversial editions in the recent history of African football — not for its spectacle, but for the blatant inequality in the treatment of participants: an Algeria heavily sanctioned, and a host nation, Morocco, consistently spared. The facts are clear, documented, and stubborn: CAF chose its target. 1. Algeria hit with exemplary — and disproportionate — sanctions Following the Algeria–Nigeria quarter-final on January 10, 2026, CAF imposed an unprecedented avalanche of penalties on the Algerian Football Federation: Luca Zidane suspended for two matches (AFCON 2027 qualifiers) Rafik Belghali suspended for four matches , including two with a suspended ban Total fines of around 100,000 USD , including: multiple yellow cards (5,000 USD), inappropriate behaviour by players and officials (25,000 USD), use of flares (5,000 USD), throwing objects (5,000 USD), security breaches (10,000 USD), offensive gestures by supporters (50,000 USD). Such cumul...