The brazen and overt goal of the Algiers-Madrid-Nouakchott nexus is to encircle Morocco in a bid to weaken it or shift its focus by challenging its sovereignty over the Western Sahara territory. However, the tactics of encirclement, adopted by the three countries, member of the hawkish alliance against Morocco, is not 100 % effective. To close the circle around Morocco, Algerian rulers have attempted to launch a maritime line linking Algiers to Nouakchott to boost export to Mauritania and to Sub-Saharan countries. What is appalling about this initiative is that the cargo ship “Imedghassen” assigned for this purpose has been purchased by the Algerian rulers from Iran. According to some analysts, Madrid seeks to protect its interests in Canary Islands after Rabat extended its Atlantic maritime border including Western Sahara waters.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 17, 2021 15:00 UTC