Algeria announced on Thursday that it would require Moroccans to obtain visas before entering the country. According to a statement from Algeria’s official APS news agency, Morocco’s actions were deemed to pose a threat to Algeria’s stability.
Earlier this month, authorities in Tlemcen, Algeria reported the arrest of seven individuals, including four Moroccans, who were accused of being part of a spy ring.
In August 2021, Algiers severed diplomatic relations with Rabat, citing “hostile acts” by Morocco, which occurred months after Morocco normalised relations with Israel. Morocco deemed the decision as “completely unjustified.”
The border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed for 30 years.
Despite the absence of direct flights, travellers from Morocco did not previously require a visa to enter Algerian territory, and vice versa for Algerians entering Morocco.
Rabat did not immediately respond to Algiers’ recent action as the two nations continue to be at odds over the Western Sahara.
Algeria expressed its commitment to maintaining ties with the Moroccan people and attributed the recent diplomatic rifts to the authorities in Rabat.
“The Moroccan regime alone is responsible for the current deterioration of bilateral relations due to its hostile and aggressive actions against Algeria.”
The United Nations considers Western Sahara a “non-self-governing territory” and has had a peacekeeping mission there since 1991.
Following French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement in July that “the only solution” was a Moroccan plan to grant autonomy to the territory within the kingdom without the option of independence, Algeria recalled its ambassador.