New escalation against Algeria!.. The Makhzen strikes again, expelling French “Mediapart” journalist mere hours after interrogating her Copy link

Algeria Gate: With tensions between Spain and Morocco escalating, Spanish broadcaster RTVE reports that Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez’s government is preparing an “emergency plan” that could include economic sanctions and other measures aimed at pressuring Rabat over its policies toward Spain and the wider region

According to the report, Spanish authorities are currently considering measures to deter Rabat if Morocco is found to be involved in new waves of migration.

The Spanish move follows several media and security reports alleging the involvement of Abdelatif Hammouchi’s intelligence apparatus in facilitating the passage of around 70,000 Moroccan irregular migrants toward the Spanish city of Ceuta, as well as accusations that Morocco has used migration as a tool of political pressure.

According to information circulating in Spanish media, the government is examining a comprehensive emergency plan targeting Morocco. The energy sector has reportedly been tasked with preparing a detailed assessment of possible measures to deter Rabat in the event of renewed migration crises.

Algeria Previously Cut Energy Supplies to Morocco

In 2021, Algeria moved to halt energy supplies to Morocco, prompting Rabat to rely on Spanish infrastructure to receive gas imported through the Spanish market following major changes to the region’s energy supply system.

The move came after Algeria decided not to renew the Maghreb–Europe Gas Pipeline (MEG) agreement.

The MEG pipeline previously transported Algerian natural gas through Moroccan territory to Spain. However, the deterioration of Algerian-Moroccan relations and the subsequent end of the pipeline agreement changed the flow of gas supplies.

Algeria subsequently increased deliveries to Spain through the Medgaz pipeline, which directly connects Algeria and Spain, while Morocco began relying on gas imported through Spain and transported back into Moroccan territory.

Energy Becomes a Key Pressure Point

The energy issue is particularly significant for Morocco because of the close interconnection between the Spanish and Moroccan electricity grids.

The two countries are linked by two submarine electricity cables connecting the Tarifa area in southern Spain with Morocco’s northern coast. These connections allow electricity to be exchanged between the two countries and contribute to the stability of Morocco’s power grid.

As a result, significant electricity flows can be recorded from Spain toward Morocco, making energy interdependence a potentially important factor in Madrid’s response to any future migration crisis.

Algeria Gate: Amid growing concerns in Europe over the security implications of Morocco’s migration policy, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has raised the alarm over the potential security and terrorist threats associated with the migration crisis.

The head of Italian diplomacy specifically evoked Morocco’s responsibility in a migration crisis that could, according to his warnings, take on a security and even terrorist dimension. These statements come after the massive arrival of around 60,000 irregular Moroccan migrants heading toward Ceuta, the Spanish territory located in northern Morocco.

The Ceuta crisis thus brings Rabat’s role in managing migration flows back to the center of the debate. The border around the Spanish enclave has become a point of tension whose consequences no longer concern Spain alone but are now raising concerns at the European level.

In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Antonio Tajani dismissed the idea of any “battle” against Spain. He did, however, call on Madrid to “deal with Morocco,” estimating that “the problem comes from there,” in direct reference to Rabat.

The Italian minister also echoed concerns expressed in Spain about a possible new migratory wave. He especially raised the risk that some of the new arrivals could represent a threat to security, going so far as to declare that “the migrants who come from there could be terrorists.”

These remarks therefore give a new dimension to the migration crisis. For Rome, the issue is no longer limited to border control or the management of clandestine arrivals: it now directly touches on European security issues.

With these statements, Morocco thus finds itself at the heart of European concerns linked to clandestine immigration and the security risks that could result from it.

Algeria Gate: Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, on Monday accused France of arming and directing illegal armed groups in African countries. This came during a joint press conference held by Lavrov with his Ghanaian counterpart Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa following bilateral talks in the Russian capital, Moscow.

He added that terrorist attacks in Africa “are being planned by certain countries that have lost their colonial influence in Africa and cannot accept that,” considering France one of them. In this context, Lavrov accused France of working directly with illegal armed groups in Africa, supplying them with weapons, and directing them. He noted that Russia is in the process of signing a memorandum of cooperation with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).