The Algerian “Possession” and the Roqya “Exorcism” Required: Monte Carlo Radio’s Article as a Case Study

Written by: Rafik Chelghoum

Translated by: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | February 12th, 2025 — The recent interview of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with the French newspaper L’Opinion has sent shockwaves through the French far-right and its historical ally, the Moroccan establishment. The interview’s impact was so profound that it seemingly provoked an immediate counter-offensive through various media outlets, with Radio Monte Carlo Internationale (MCI), owned by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, playing a central role in this orchestrated attack.

Monte Carlo Radio deliberately published a false and malicious report targeting Algeria and its People’s National Army (ANP), the worthy heir of the National Liberation Army (ALN). The fabricated allegations suggested that ANP personnel had participated in combat alongside the Syrian army of President Bashar al-Assad. This baseless claim is not only an egregious lie but also part of a calculated media war against Algeria.

The Critical Question: Why This Attack?

The answer is straightforward. Monte Carlo Radio, headquartered in Paris, has fully subscribed to the new strategy of the Franco-Moroccan media apparatus, which has been assigned a clear mission: to wage an unrelenting media war against Algeria through all possible means. The state apparatuses of both France’s deep state and Morocco’s intelligence services have mobilized their media outlets to serve this objective.

A closer look at the key figures behind Monte Carlo’s editorial policy reveals the true source of its biased narratives. The station is run by Moroccan national Souad Tayeb, who serves as its director, while its central editor-in-chief, Abdelillah Salhi, is also Moroccan. Both are known affiliates of the Moroccan regime, making it abundantly clear that Monte Carlo is merely an extension of the Moroccan propaganda machine, operating under the guise of French state media.

This alignment with Moroccan interests is glaringly evident in the language used in the article. The term “militia” was deliberately employed to describe the fighters of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic’s (SADR) army—also known as the Polisario Front. This terminology marks a significant shift in French media discourse, as no major French media outlet, including Monte Carlo itself, has previously used such a term to describe the Polisario Front, whose struggle for self-determination is internationally recognized and registered at the United Nations as a decolonization issue.

Furthermore, the article insidiously attempted to link Iran, Hezbollah, and the Polisario Front in a desperate bid to discredit the Sahrawi cause. It also referred to the Western Sahara issue using the phrase “the independence of the Polisario Front from Morocco,” intentionally distorting the historical and legal reality. Such linguistic manipulation is a classic tool of psychological warfare, designed to reshape public perception in favor of Morocco’s illegal occupation of Western Sahara.

A Script Written in Rabat, Published in Paris

A simple reading of the article makes it clear that it was conceived in the intelligence headquarters of Morocco’s regime and executed by Monte Carlo Radio. The identity of the “journalist” who penned it is irrelevant because the real authors of this disinformation campaign are the geopolitical operatives behind the scenes.

This is further evidenced by the article’s insidious opening line: “As reported by Monte Carlo’s correspondent in Damascus.” The phrase was carefully inserted to lend an air of credibility to the fabricated story, implying that the misinformation came from a legitimate on-the-ground source, when in reality, it was nothing more than a planted piece of propaganda.

The Need for a Legal Response

As a matter of national security and journalistic integrity, Monte Carlo Radio must be held accountable for its disinformation campaign. I firmly advocate for legal action against the outlet within France itself, as it has deliberately attacked the ANP, an institution that is one of the sacred pillars of the Algerian state.

There can be no leniency for such a crime, which was orchestrated by Moroccan intelligence operatives and their allies within France’s far-right circles. It is evident that these forces are driven by an obsessive hostility toward Algeria, and they have turned the ANP into a psychological fixation they cannot overcome.

While the Chief of Staff of the ANP, General Saïd Chengriha, spent seven days in India engaged in high-level military and strategic discussions for the benefit of Algeria, the far-right French media and their Moroccan allies were gripped by an irrational hysteria over Algeria’s growing geopolitical influence. This relentless fixation has reached such an extreme that one might say these actors have fallen under a collective “possession”—an affliction they themselves cannot escape.

The Roqya ‘Exorcism’ Required

I have always supported pragmatic diplomacy that remains faithful to Algeria’s historical principles. That is why I consider President Tebboune’s recent interview with L’Opinion to be one of the most masterful and strategically impactful media engagements of his presidency.

The interview’s far-reaching implications and its brilliantly articulated messages have clearly unsettled the Franco-Moroccan alliance, forcing them to reconsider their strategy in their ongoing media offensive against Algeria. Their tactics are predictable, their narratives exposed, and their motivations transparent.

Ultimately, the French far-right and the Moroccan regime must understand one thing: the “possession” they suffer from—this pathological obsession with Algeria—requires a special kind of Roqya “exorcism.” However, the cure lies not in their hands, and the one capable of administering it remains unknown to them. For now, they remain haunted by the specter of an Algeria they can neither control nor intimidate.

Rafik Chelghoum is the Founder and Director of the Algerian online newspaper “Algeria Now” and a regular contributor to various Arab media outlets.

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