Algeria: 61 Moroccans arrested for planning “acts of sabotage”, including a former soldier

Algerian authorities announced on Sunday, October 11, that earlier this month they arrested 61 people of Moroccan nationality on suspicion of planning “acts of sabotage”. The statement by the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN), published by the state news agency APS, spoke of “an international Moroccan criminal network” but gave no details of the alleged plans.

Entry from Tunisia

The 61 people, among them a former soldier of the Moroccan army, “were preparing to commit acts of sabotage undermining security and public order”, the DGSN said. According to the DGSN, the suspects entered Algeria by mountain trails from neighbouring Tunisia. The route is explained by the fact that the shared land border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed since 1994.

The statement does not specify the targets attributed to the suspects, the exact dates of the arrests or whether charges have already been brought. Nor does it say whether the 61 were arrested in a single operation or in different parts of the country. The case was made public through Algeria’s state media, with the authorities speaking of an organised network with international links.

A long-running rivalry

Relations between the two Maghreb countries have been tense for decades. In 2021 Algiers severed diplomatic relations with Rabat. The main point of friction is Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony largely controlled by Morocco since 1975 and considered by the United Nations a non-self-governing territory. Morocco regards Western Sahara as an integral part of its territory, while Algeria backs the Polisario Front, which demands self-determination and independence.

After the 2021 rupture Algeria closed its airspace to Moroccan aircraft and halted gas flows to Spain through the Maghreb-Europe pipeline, which crossed Morocco. Tensions had already risen after December 2020, when the United States recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a decision Algiers rejected.

The rivalry also has a military dimension, as the two countries are among the largest arms buyers in Africa. Algeria relies mainly on Russian systems and has been linked to the acquisition of Russian Su-57 fighters, while its navy also operates German MEKO A-200 frigates (see our report on the MEKO A-200 DEU programme). Morocco has turned to American and Israeli systems.