Morocco–Algeria rivalry
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Morocco and Algeria "hate each other. They've always hated each other," and are rivals for what Kiriakou calls primacy in North Africa. His comparison of the two puts Algeria ahead on every axis but wealth: it is "bigger, it's more important, it's more powerful. It's just as poor, but it's very powerful politically."

That rivalry is his explanation for the mass crossing into Ceuta in August 2026. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez made an official visit to Algeria on 20 July; the Moroccan king was "upset and angry and decided to sort of throw a wrench into the works." Kiriakou treats the manoeuvre as a demonstration of leverage rather than a policy, Morocco showing Spain "that it can just mess with Spain whenever it wants to", and notes it is not the first time, Morocco having let the same thing happen in 2021. His conclusion is that Spain erred structurally by allowing Morocco to control the flow of migrants into the enclave at all.

See also

- Ceuta migrant crossings (2026)
- Spanish enclaves in North Africa
