The break forms part of a longstanding rivalry involving border disputes, the Sahara issue and reciprocal security allegations. These allegations must be reported as government positions, not as facts proven merely by being asserted.
Algeria’s support for Polisario and hosting of the Tindouf camps give it a major material role. Algiers nevertheless refuses to define itself as a party to the territorial conflict, while Morocco requires its involvement in a settlement. Bilateral deterioration complicates regional cooperation; it does not make interstate disputes identical to the rights or preferences of affected populations.