UMA Dead and Buried, G3 Takes Action

BY: Dr. Hana Saada

ALGIERS- To address the long-standing paralysis affecting economic, political, and diplomatic coordination in the Maghreb region since the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) became clinically dead about thirty years ago, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya have taken a significant step forward by establishing a new entity. Alive and promising, above all. The inaugural meeting of the leaders of the three countries in Carthage has indeed solidified a strategic union and laid the groundwork for a new bloc that the region sorely needs to confront current challenges on all fronts.

This initial consultative meeting, held on April 22nd in Tunis, has paved the way for new perspectives of economic, political, security, and diplomatic cooperation among these three countries. Their leaders have demonstrated a shared determination to intensify efforts to make this new bloc a force capable of impacting regional, continental, and international levels.

How the Moroccan Monarchy Paralyzed the UMA

This new approach initiated by the three neighboring countries confirms a deep-seated belief in the near-impossibility of reviving the UMA corpse, which has been reduced to an empty shell manipulated by Morocco when necessary through its still-operating secretariat. Nearly thirty years have passed since the UMA was paralyzed, failing to meet its objectives upon creation. This paralysis was caused by the Moroccan monarchy, as recently reminded by the official APS news agency.

“At the time, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Filali, announced the freezing of the UMA, and since then, all UMA institutions have been deactivated, except for the general secretariat of this ‘union,’ which is under the control of the Moroccan monarchy. Paid and used by the monarchy, as needed, to legitimize its actions through a pseudo-UMA agreement,” it recalled, specifying that the said Moroccan minister “formally notified his UMA counterparts in writing of the freezing of the Maghreb union.” However, this diktat has now come to an end with the formation of this new regional entity resulting from the call made by Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the forum of heads of state of gas-exporting countries held in Algiers last March, inviting his Tunisian and Libyan counterparts to consider a different path.

In this regard, it is worth noting that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Attaf, who met with the press last Thursday, had stated that the President of the Republic “had been considering this initiative for a long time and had discussed it with the leaders of the Maghreb countries and their foreign ministers during their various visits to our country.” However, for Attaf, as for the three leaders who participated in the Tunis summit, this initiative “is not directed against anyone” and its launch rather responds to a real need and common challenges.

Geostrategic Challenges

During his conference, Attaf also began by noting that “North Africa and the Maghreb are practically the only region in the world without a mechanism for regular and periodic consultation between the countries of this space.” The Algerian Foreign Minister also emphasized that “the Maghreb region has issues that are making international headlines, such as the Libyan issue and that of the Sahelo-Saharan region,” and it is not normal for “all countries to meddle in these issues, except those in the region, which are, however, the most affected.” In this regard, this new bloc now aspires to become a unified, reliable, and credible partner in all matters concerning the region.

In addition to geostrategic challenges, it is also the issues directly affecting the lives of the people of the three countries that underlie this joint initiative by their leaders. These include four main areas, namely the development of border regions, energy, food security, and the removal of obstacles to trade exchanges. These axes are in line with the initiatives launched by Abdelmadjid Tebboune, such as free trade zones, security cooperation agreements, investment, and others.

In any case, less than two weeks after its launch, this new alliance, which Mauritania will probably eventually join, is already bearing its first fruits, including the signing of an agreement on the crucial issue of managing groundwater shared by these three countries in the Sahara. This is evidently just the beginning.

Translated from: https://lalgerieaujourdhui.dz/luma-morte-et-enterree-le-g3-entre-en-action/

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