What's behind the Algeria-Morocco rivalry?
Morocco and Algeria have been at odds for decades, chiefly over the disputed Western Sahara region. But their rivalry now extends far beyond the territory
Morocco and Algeria have been at odds for decades, chiefly over the disputed Western Sahara region. But their rivalry now extends far beyond the territory. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez traveled to Algeriaon July 20, 2026, for talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb. The meeting's aim was to resolve a diplomatic row that erupted between both countries in 2022 after Spain sided with Morocco's autonomy proposal to resolve the Western Sahara conflict — much to Algeria's dismay. It is a matter of debate whether Spain's rapprochement with Algeria outraged Moroccoso much that it deliberately allowed tens of thousands of migrants to storm the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, even though both countries have improved their relations enormously in recent years. Spanish daily El Pais has certainly entertained the possibility of Moroccan meddling. "Ceuta tensions coincided with Pedro Sanchez's trip to Algeria, a regional rival of the [Moroccan] Alawite Kingdom," an opinion piece in the Spanish paper notes. The article later states that "any attempt to use immigration as a bargaining chip is unacceptable." Moroccan interior ministry spokesperson Rachid El Khalfi has rejected such accusations, saying the incident resulted from "the malicious exploitation of the digital space," as well as "misleading information" and misinterpretations of a Spanish Supreme Court ruling.
Red Cross personnel were on the scene to support migrants who had entered the Spaish exclave Image: Iván Zambrano/Europa Press/dpa/picture alliance Experts interviewed by DW also rule out the possibility that Morocco deliberately instigated the border breach. Algeria and Morocco's deep-rooted rivalry The recent Ceuta incident and subsequent accusations point to the deep-seated rivalry between Algeria and Morocco. At its heart lies the conflict over Western Sahara, which began when Spain withdrew from the territory in 1975. Morocco considers the region an indispensable part of its own national territory, seeking international recognition for its integration. Algeria, in contrast, supports Western Sahara's independence. Specifically, Algeria backs the region's Polisario Front which fights for the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination. The Western Sahara conflict has long since become a symbol of a deeper rivalry between Algeria and Morocco over influence in the Maghreb region, according to a paper by the Research Unit on International Security and Cooperation (UNISCI), an independent Madrid-based research group. The dispute connects to both countries' domestic politics in the sense that Morocco regards the Western Sahara issue as a matter of territorial integrity, whereas Algeria favors self-determination as it sees itself as an anti-colonial state. This constellation means reaching a compromise in the Western Sahara conflict is becoming increasingly difficult.
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