An escalation in tensions between Algeria and Morocco took place on Thursday, March 27, as Algeria reported the expulsion of a Moroccan diplomat stationed in the country, accusing him of “suspicious activities” that are “incompatible with the nature of his diplomatic duties.”
Mohamed El Soufiani, the vice-consul of Morocco in Oran, has been declared “persona non grata” and ordered to leave the country within 48 hours.
In a statement issued late Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Mr. Khaled Chihani, who is temporarily fulfilling the duties of the Moroccan Consul General in Algeria, was summoned to the ministry, where he was received by Mr. Mokhtar Amine Khelif, the Director General of Protocol.
The Moroccan diplomat was notified of the decision by Algerian authorities to declare Mr. Mohamed Soufiani, the Deputy Consul General of Morocco in Oran, “persona non grata” with an obligation to leave the country within a maximum of 48 hours, according to the statement.
The decision by Algerian authorities follows the “suspicious activities” of the individual, which were “incompatible with the nature of his functions within the consular representation” and constitute a breach of Algerian laws as well as relevant international laws and norms, particularly the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the statement added.
For the record, Algeria severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in August 2021 following a series of hostile actions by Morocco towards Algeria.
This is not the first time a Moroccan diplomat stationed in Oran has made headlines. In May 2020, before the diplomatic rupture, the Moroccan Consul General in Oran made a “serious blunder” by referring to Algeria as an enemy country.
In front of Moroccan nationals who were stranded in Algeria due to the COVID-19 crisis and were requesting facilitation to return home, the diplomat had stated, “We are in an enemy country, I am telling you frankly.”
The statement, widely shared on social media, prompted a reaction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The then Algerian Foreign Minister, Sabri Boukadoum, summoned the Moroccan ambassador to Algeria. Through an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on “Moroccan authorities to take appropriate measures to avoid any repercussions of this incident on bilateral relations.”
