Algeria and Morocco Developing inclusive strategies can prevent violent extremism

The policy brief examines the increasing presence of sub-Saharan African migrants in Algeria and Morocco, noting that while they have not been significantly implicated in terrorism, their precarious socio-economic conditions and exposure to racism create vulnerabilities. It advocates for the operationalisation of regularisation schemes and the adoption of non-coercive PVE strategies based on UN pillars to prevent future radicalisation.

• Sub-Saharan African migrants in Algeria and Morocco are primarily driven by economic goals and have not been implicated in terrorism, with only one exception involving a Chadian national arrested in 2016 for a Daesh plot.
• Migrants are increasingly staying for years in Algeria and Morocco rather than just transiting, due to strengthened border security by the EU and the two countries, as well as the dangers of transiting through Libya.
• Sub-Saharan migrants face significant racism and marginalisation, including being called 'Ebola' and facing online anti-migrant campaigns like 'No to Africans in Algeria', which may build grievances and increase susceptibility to radicalisation.
• Both countries have established counter-terrorism and deradicalisation frameworks, including Algeria's control of imams since the 1990s and Morocco's 'Islamic Reform' since 2003, which includes a prison-based deradicalisation programme.
• Legalising migrants offers economic benefits, such as addressing construction worker shortages in Algeria, and political benefits, such as improving Morocco's relations with sub-Saharan Africa and increasing negotiation leverage with the EU.
• The author recommends that Algeria and Morocco operationalise their regularisation schemes and develop PVE strategies based on UN pillars—tackling conditions conducive to terrorism, preventing/combating terrorism, and ensuring human rights—to address root causes of extremism.

APA

Abebe, T. T. (2017). Algeria and Morocco Developing inclusive strategies can prevent violent extremism. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb112.pdf

Chicago

Abebe, Tsion Tadesse. Algeria and Morocco Developing inclusive strategies can prevent violent extremism. Institute for Security Studies, 2017. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb112.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Abebe |first1=Tsion Tadesse |title=Algeria and Morocco Developing inclusive strategies can prevent violent extremism |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2017 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb112.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{abebe2017algeria, author = {Abebe, Tsion Tadesse}, title = {{Algeria and Morocco Developing inclusive strategies can prevent violent extremism}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2017}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb112.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }