The funny thing is that Algeria, the “leader of Africa,” is the only country that has not joined any continental bloc?!
Memory still recalls the statement that made Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune the subject of ridicule by the world, Africans... and Algerians!! When, in defense of his country's right to BRICS membership, he told a Chinese TV anchor: Algeria represents to the African continent what China represents to the world!! The BRICS summit came, and Algerians watched their country's membership evaporate, just as their president's confidence evaporated. The importance of "Greater Algeria," the leader of Africa, faded, and in its place, Egypt and Ethiopia were accepted as members, joining South Africa's.
The occasion for this reminder is a glaring paradox, which we believe no one has ever considered: Algeria, after having undertaken to freeze the Arab Maghreb Union, sever the ties of human and commercial communication between its countries, and thus practically ending it, either in implementation of the orders of the Élysée Palace, or due to the shortsightedness of the French generals in Algeria, we say that Algeria is the only African country that does not belong to any African regional grouping!! How is that and what does it mean?
The African Union, which comprises 54 African countries, includes sub-groups—primarily economic—of the continent's countries, primarily based on geographical proximity. Thus, we find a grouping of countries in western Africa called ECOWAS, which includes 15 countries, excluding Algeria. Mauritania withdrew from it, and Morocco has submitted an application to join, which has not yet been decided. The Community of Eastern African States, or COMESA, comprises 19 countries, although it also includes some countries in central Africa, in addition to the 11-member ECOWAS Community. The countries of southern Africa are organized within the framework of the 15-member SADC, which in turn includes some countries in central Africa, some of which, such as the Sahel countries (Chad, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso), retain membership in ECOWAS at the same time. There remains a trans-geographical bloc, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), which has been practically frozen, even if its death has not been officially declared. It comprises 21 countries from northern (Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco), central, western, and eastern Africa. The latest addition, spearheaded by Morocco, includes the countries of the South Atlantic, which is considered the largest regional bloc in Africa (after Angola and Namibia completed their membership), with 23 member states (incidentally, it is the only framework in which Mauritania is a member). Despite the abundance of African blocs and the possibility of a country joining more than one, the “leader of Africa” and its pioneer has not deigned to request membership in any of them—while realizing that it would be impossible to be accepted into some of them! Thus, it is depriving Africa of its expertise and “striking force”!
In return, Algeria's generals, both civilian and military, have expended all their propaganda capabilities, and have poured money and "prestige" into trying to compensate for this shameful absence from the various blocs of the mother continent, Africa, by trying to join BRICS, then the Shanghai Organization, and ASEAN, and if possible, they would even apply to join NATO and the European Union! An effort whose outcome is known to everyone, and the Algerian media has yet to digest its stumbling and intractability!! They treat it as a mystery, before ultimately attributing it to the "Moroccan backstabbing" that is spoiling Algeria's efforts in all these forums!! They would have been better off paying attention to the obvious fact that a country that refuses to join any regional or continental bloc will not be treated with respect in any other international forum.
Despite the above fact, which is supported by the fact that the total of Algeria's exports and imports to all countries of the African continent (except Morocco) during 2022 hovered around a very modest figure (2.5%)!! The generals' media still insists on Algeria's leadership in Africa and its striking force. This failed propaganda media also attempts to promote the myth that Algeria is capable of defending the continent's interests within the Security Council during the next two years, through its non-permanent membership in it!
In conclusion, the final blow to French colonial policy and its servant in El Mouradia Palace was Morocco's overcoming of all attempts to strangle and besiege it, and to sever its ties with its African surroundings. This was achieved through the Polisario mercenaries in the "Guerguerat farce" or by placing obstacles in the way of its membership in ECOWAS. This "masterstroke" was represented by adopting the establishment of the "African South Atlantic Treaty Organization," which King Mohammed VI was keen to give the recognition and praise it deserved in his recent speech on the anniversary of the Green March. Here, the Moroccan message is crystal clear: the path to African leadership can only pass through strengthening relations with African countries, both small and large, provided that this relationship establishes the bonds of South-South cooperation, according to a "win-win" approach. Seeking significance outside the continent, on the other hand, condemns its owner to eternal dependence and to being a "tail" after having lost the opportunity to be a "head"! These are concepts that are difficult for Algeria's generals to grasp, as they have become accustomed to receiving and executing orders from the old/new master, without the slightest discussion or objection, since before the country's nominal independence from France. A reality that only the Algerian people can change, and perhaps that will happen soon!
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