Maghrebi rivalries over sub-Saharan Africa: Algeria and Tunisia seeking to keep up with Morocco

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has moved relations with Sub-Saharan Africa further up the Maghreb countries' agenda and consolidated existing trends. Morocco is the Maghreb state with the most sophisticated Sub-Sahara policy. Its motivations include attractive growth markets in Africa, frustration over restricted access to Europe, stalemated in­tegration in the Maghreb and the wish to see the Western Sahara recognised as Moroc­can. Morocco's Sub-Sahara policy has heightened tensions with Algeria and awakened ambitions in Tunisia. Algiers, as a significant funder and security actor in the African Union (AU) and "protector" of the Western Sahara independence movement, is seek­ing to thwart Rabat's advances. Tunis for its part is trying to follow in Rabat's foot­steps, hoping that closer relations with Africa will boost economic growth. The Euro­pean Union should treat these trends as an opportunity for African integration and triangular EU/Maghreb/Sub-Sahara cooperation. This could counteract Algeria's feel­ing of growing irrelevance, strengthen Tunisia's economy, put Morocco's hegemonic ambitions in perspective, and thus mitigate the negative dynamics of the rivalry. (author's abstract)