Experts: Morocco, Algeria compete over mediating regional crises

Algeria and Morocco are competing to play the leading role in mediation efforts to solve the crises in Mali and Libya, the Anadolu Agency reported Algerian experts as saying.

Reda Chennouf, an Algerian journalist who specialises in Algerian-Moroccan relations, said: “The two countries do not coordinate their diplomatic work on the crises in the region, not even in secret.”

“Algeria and Morocco compete to play a pivotal role in the crises in Libya and Mali because they want to be the party consulted by international powers on how to resolve the region’s crises,” Chennouf explained.

He pointed out that “because Algeria shares borders with Libya and Mali and has experience in counter- terrorism, it has more credit playing to its benefit.”

Chennouf said: “France provides substantial support to Rabat to play a pivotal role in this crisis in order to create a balance in the region and prevent Algeria from monopolising power in the region.”

Meanwhile, a professor of political science and international relations at the University of Algiers, Murad Fall also stressed that both Algeria and Morocco compete to lead mediation efforts in the two North African countries.

Fall said: “Although both countries compete for the role, neither of them has the tools to manage the situation, this will further complicate matters.”

The head of Libya’s Justice and Construction party, Mohamed Sowan said earlier that talks to resolve the power crisis in Libya are taking place in parallel under the auspices of Algeria and Morocco but all efforts are sponsored by the United Nations.