According to SIPRI, Morocco and Algeria persist in an arms race, ranking as Africa's largest arms importers. This is despite a significant decline in their acquisitions during the period 2019-2023, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this week, the Speaker of Morocco’s House of Representatives visited Russia, where he met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and North Africa. The latter addressed the Western Sahara dispute in an ambiguous statement.