Diplomatic relations between France and Morocco are going through a period of persistent cold. This silent crisis has an impact on the economic relations between the two countries. The president of MEDEF saw this at his expense when he learned of the cancellation of his visit to Morocco. However, the bridges are not quite cut. France remains an arms supplier to Morocco.
Indeed, according to the specialist Spanish newspaper Infodefensa, France is preparing, in the coming months, to deliver a second batch of Sherpa-type tactical armored vehicles to Morocco. They are equipped with the Mistral Atlas RC air defense system, the most advanced version of the MBDA missiles. These are multi-purpose tactical vehicles developed in different versions. They can carry a crew of 5 and travel up to 110 kilometers per hour and cross waters up to 1.5 meters deep.
These vehicles are equipped with the Mistral Atlas RC air defense system, the most advanced version of the MBDA missiles. It is a system based on a remote-controlled turret, equipped with two or four Mistral missiles and a latest generation thermal sight, which can be mounted on light armored vehicles, such as the Sherpa.
This delivery is part of the contract signed by Morocco in 2020 with the French company Arquus and the French arms manufacturer MBDA. France will have to deliver to the Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR), at the end of this contract, 36 Sherpa-type military vehicles, the first batch of which was delivered in 2022.
France – Algeria – Morocco: the impossible equation
These deliveries of vehicles for the Moroccan army come in a climate of tension between Morocco and France, but also between the kingdom and its neighbor to the east, Algeria. Indeed, the two countries, which have every interest in calming their diplomatic relations, still come up against the question of Western Sahara. Rabat demands that Paris recognize the Moroccan nature of these territories, but France does not want to embark on this path so as not to lose Algeria.
Moreover, between Algeria and Morocco, tensions are only increasing. Algeria has severed diplomatic relations with the kingdom and closed its airspace for Moroccan planes. At the same time, the two countries are engaged in a veritable arms race. Algeria gets its supplies mainly from Russia, and Morocco from the United States, France and lately from Israel. In any case, the atmosphere is not calm in this part of North Africa. As recently as June 25, the Algerian President accused the Cherifian kingdom, during a military exercise by the Algerian army, of wanting to flood Algeria with drugs, illegal immigration and “counterfeiting”.
