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Algeria Gate: Did Morocco use its intelligence services to monitor people on Spanish soil? A new Amnesty International report sheds fresh light on the issue.

The 126-page document details what the organization calls Morocco’s “surveillance machine.” It documents the use of the Pegasus spyware against journalists, activists, lawyers and political figures, including targets outside Morocco.

Spanish daily El Mundo highlighted the Spanish dimension of the findings and the role of Morocco’s Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).

Amnesty identified a cross-border campaign that targeted Moroccans living in Europe as well as foreign personalities. Spain emerged as one of the main theatres of these operations.

The first Spanish phone identified belonged to Sahrawi human-rights activist Aminatou Haidar. Investigators say it was infected on May 11th, 2018.

In 2019 the list expanded to include Moroccan journalist based in Spain Hussein Majdoubi and Spanish journalist Ignacio Cembrero, known for his reporting on Morocco.

Amnesty further states that Pegasus was used in 2021 against the phones of Spain’s defence, interior and agriculture ministers.

Some infections relied on “zero-click” techniques that require no action from the victim. Technical links between attacks allowed investigators to attribute the operations to a single operator.

The report concludes that the DGST deployed Pegasus in Morocco between 2017 and 2021, with possible later use. Journalists and human-rights defenders were among the primary targets from the outset.

These revelations gain added weight against the backdrop of the 2021 diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco, triggered by the hospitalisation in Spain of Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali.

Amnesty International calls for independent investigations and the suspension of surveillance technology transfers to Morocco until adequate human-rights safeguards are in place.

The findings, supported by both Amnesty’s technical analysis and Spanish media coverage, place Moroccan surveillance practices firmly at the centre of European concerns.

Algeria Gate: While France faces severe prison overcrowding, Rassemblement National MP Michel Guiniot chose to question the French government about… Algeria’s future high-security prison in Tanezrouft.

This project, intended notably for major drug traffickers, is nonetheless a sovereign decision by Algeria. Yet the French MP directly linked it to the transfer of Algerian detainees and the expulsion of nationals subject to removal orders.

This approach raises questions: why look to Algeria for a solution to problems that primarily concern the French prison system?

While Paris must manage its own prisons, the episode once again shows how certain French political figures incorporate Algerian decisions into their internal debates on immigration and security.

Algeria Gate: The European Union’s Ambassador to Algeria, Diego Melado, stated that “Algeria is a reliable partner in the gas sector,” noting that it possesses strong potential that qualifies it to become a major partner in future energy projects, particularly in renewable energies and green hydrogen.

In his opening remarks at the second ministerial meeting of the Southern Hydrogen Corridor project (South2Corridor), held in Algeria, Melado highlighted the importance of the renewable hydrogen project in supporting Europe’s transition toward a low-carbon energy system. He pointed to the significant potential of the Southern Hydrogen Corridor project to become one of the main routes for transporting renewable hydrogen to European markets.

The European ambassador explained that this corridor would connect the two shores of the Mediterranean, enabling sustainable economic and energy benefits for both sides and opening the way for a new strategic partnership between Europe and North Africa based on clean energies, shared prosperity, and a move toward a more sustainable future.

In this regard, Melado underscored the important potential that Algeria has in renewable energies and the assets it possesses that can be leveraged to make joint energy projects with Europe a success.

He stressed the importance of continuing efforts to achieve tangible progress and turn the Southern Hydrogen Corridor project into reality, confirming the European Union’s readiness to continue supporting this path and cooperating with various partners to ensure the success of this strategic project.