3 Die in Air Strike at Algeria-Morocco Border

Algeria has alleged that its neighbour, Morocco, is behind the deaths of three people who were killed in an air strike in nearby disputed territory.

The Algerian Foreign Ministry claims that the attack took place on the edge of tWestern Sahara on Tuesday, 12 April: Moroccan-aligned forces allegedly launched artillery shells at a commercial convoy travelling along a desert highway on the border between Algeria and Mauritania.

The Foreign Ministry released a statement that said: “Algeria vigorously condemns the Kingdom of Morocco’s targeted killings, with sophisticated weaponry, outside of its internationally recognised borders.”

It added that the “repetitive acts of state terrorism” could hamper security efforts for the region.

The region of interest has been a point of contention for both north African countries when a cease-fire between the Algeria-aligned Polisario Front and Moroccan occupation troops – which was signed in 1991 – broke down just last year November, leading to armed clashes between both sides.

The Polisario movement’s goal is for a fully independent Western Sahara, while Morocco believes the territory to be part of its claimed lands from its reclaimed Spanish colonial era.

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