Moroccan Historian Mohamed El-Bateoui Reveals Involvement of Moroccan Regime in Supporting France Against Algeria’s Independence

✏️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers- Algeria, May 13, 2024 – In a recent interview with Moroccan journalist Dunia Filali on an opposition Moroccan channel, human rights activist and historian Mohamed El-Bateoui made assertions about the Moroccan regime’s involvement in supporting France against Algerian independence, despite claiming to support the Algerian revolution since Morocco’s own independence.

El-Bateoui shed light on the complexities surrounding the Aix-les-Bains treaty, often referred to by many free Moroccans as “the great betrayal.” He noted that a group of Moroccan officers, including pilot Saleh Hached, imprisoned in Tazmamart prison, revealed that Moroccan planes were used to bomb Algerian militants’ positions. This participation, he emphasized, was enforced by the treaty, which he described as a betrayal not only of the Moroccan people but also of the Algerian people.

El-Bateoui also highlighted the involvement of Hassan II, then Crown Prince, in the “Ecofin and Oregon” tripartite operation involving France and Spain. He stated that Hassan II joined one of the Moroccan army leaders to strike at resistance in southern Morocco and prevent its support for the Algerian revolution, suggesting that this participation was among the treaty’s clauses.

Referring to King Mohammed V’s speech at the United Nations, El-Bateoui suggested that it concealed larger issues, including actions against Algerian independence and the suppression of Algerian revolutionaries by the Makhzen regime. He argued that the acceptance of clauses in the treaty forced upon Morocco actions against Algerian independence.

El-Bateoui explained, “France sought, through the Aix-les-Bains Treaty signed on August 22, 1955, a few months after the outbreak of the Algerian revolution, to suppress the revolution in Morocco and Tunisia by granting them nominal independence to cease support for the Algerian revolution.” He added that this perspective was included in the Aix-les-Bains treaty, as France’s interests in Algeria were much greater than in neighboring countries.

He continued, “France planned the independence of Morocco and arranged it to the extent that it placed its figures in sensitive and strategic positions in the independent Moroccan state, as was the case with Moubarak El Bekaa, who was appointed by France as the head of the Royal Council and was the first prime minister after independence, and who was previously an officer in the French army fighting in its ranks.”

El-Bateoui further noted that through the Aix-les-Bains treaty, France negotiated the return of Sultan Mohammed V from exile to crown him king of Morocco, establish a royal council, and create a temporary government to negotiate with French officials.

Regarding the post-independence period, El-Bateoui highlighted that the Moroccan regime arrested negotiators in the Moroccan delegation with France in the Aix-les-Bains treaty and assassinated some of them, such as Mehdi Ben Barka and others. He pointed out that they rejected a French proposal to establish a Moroccan republic, hoping for a return of Mohammed V from exile and the establishment of a monarchy, believing they could persuade the king towards a free and democratic Moroccan state akin to a republic, but that didn’t materialize.

In exchange for his return, King Mohammed V pledged to protect the political, economic, and cultural interests of the French settlers in Morocco, ensuring they maintained their political and civil rights, El-Bateoui added.

El-Bateoui highlighted a crucial point in Mohammed V’s message to his lawyer, who was tasked with negotiating his stance before France, known as “territorial independence,” which literally means subjugated independence. He noted that this was confirmed by French Prime Minister Edgar Faure during his opening speech at the Aix-les-Bains negotiations, indicating that Morocco would remain tied to France on all strategic, military, economic, and diplomatic levels even after its independence.

This incomplete independence imposed on the Makhzen regime meant that Morocco remained in the Western camp and refrained from taking sovereign positions like Algeria did. Algeria joined the Non-Aligned Movement, enabling it to adopt free foreign policies that balanced its international relations between the Eastern and Western camps in a way that served its interests, El-Bateoui concluded.

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