Algeria has reintroduced visa requirements for Moroccan citizens entering the country, accusing its neighbor of exploiting visa-free entry for illegal activities, according to state news agency APS. The move, which took effect on Thursday, marks a fresh escalation in the ongoing tensions between the two nations.
The visa exemption, in place for roughly 20 years, has now been revoked. Morocco has yet to issue a response.
Relations between Algeria and Morocco have been strained for years, largely due to their conflicting stances on Western Sahara. Morocco claims the territory, while Algeria supports the Polisario Front’s push for independence.
Algeria claims Morocco used visa-free entry to facilitate organized crime, drug and human trafficking, illegal immigration, and espionage activities. Algerian authorities also accused Morocco of sending “Zionist” spies with Moroccan passports into its territory, though no evidence was provided to substantiate these claims.
Diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed in 2021 after Algeria accused Morocco of hostile actions, including supporting separatists in the Kabylia region. Since then, Algeria has blocked Moroccan aircraft from its airspace, cut off gas supply through a pipeline to Spain via Morocco, and boycotted Moroccan ports.
Despite Morocco’s repeated calls to restore relations, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune stated in 2023 that ties with Morocco had reached “the point of no return.”
