Algeria Reinstates Visa Requirements for Moroccan Nationals Amid Tensions.
TUNIS (Reuters) – Algerian authorities reintroduced visa requirements for Moroccan nationals on Thursday, according to the state news agency APS. The decision marks a significant shift in policy, as the two countries had mutually lifted visa restrictions around 20 years ago.
Algeria’s move comes amid ongoing tensions with Morocco, primarily centered on the dispute over Western Sahara. Algeria has accused Morocco of misusing the visa-free status to facilitate criminal activities across the border, including organized crime, drug and human trafficking, illegal immigration, and espionage. The Algerian Foreign Ministry also claimed that Morocco has been sending spies with Moroccan passports to Algeria, though no evidence has been provided to support these allegations.
Morocco has yet to respond to the new visa requirement.
Relations between Algeria and Morocco have deteriorated significantly over the past few years. In 2021, Algeria severed diplomatic ties with Morocco, citing “hostile acts” including Moroccan support for a separatist group in the Kabylia region. Following this, Algeria halted the flow of gas through a pipeline to Spain via Morocco, barred Moroccan aircraft from its airspace, and boycotted Moroccan ports.
Morocco has repeatedly denied the accusations and labeled Algeria’s actions as unjustified. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune stated in 2023 that relations with Morocco had reached “the point of no return.”
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