Algeria breaks off diplomatic relations with Morocco

Algeria from tuesday tears diplomatic relations with Morocco, said the head of the Algerian Foreign Ministry Ramtan Lamamra. According to him, the Moroccan authorities have been committing hostile actions against Algeria for a long time. These actions included forest fires, which allegedly began due to arson. They are suspected of being terrorists.

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria, the consulates of both states will continue to work, informs France 24.

Last week, Algeria accused Morocco of “supporting two terrorist movements” operating in Algerian territory: the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia (DAK) and the Rashad movement. The authorities of the republic believe that their activists are also involved in the forest fires that broke out in northern Algeria in August. Earlier it was reported that the fire in the Kabylia region killed 65 people, including dozens of militaryinvolved in the rescue operation.

Also last week, following an extraordinary meeting of the Supreme Security Council of Algeria, it was announced that the North African republic would reconsider its relations with Morocco. The reason for this was called “the continuous hostile actions committed by the kingdom and its ally, the Zionist entity (Israel)”, transfers TASS.

According to the Algerian authorities, the Moroccan special services were monitoring officials of the neighboring state. In addition, the kingdom allegedly did not fulfill a number of agreements reached in the negotiation process on the Western Sahara problem.

On July 18, Algeria announced the recall of its ambassador to Morocco for consultations. The reason for this step was the official note circulated earlier by the Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN (New York) Omar Hilal among the member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement. The document, in particular, said that official Rabat “openly and clearly supports the right to self-determination of the people of Kabylia (a historical and geographical region located in the north of Algeria).” Hilal’s statements in Algeria were regarded as “hateful, dangerous and provocative.”

Algeria and Morocco have been in a difficult relationship over the past few decades, and the border between them has been closed since 1994. The main subject of controversy is the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara, most of which is controlled by the authorities of Morocco. In 1976, the Polisario Front, which fought a guerrilla war against Moroccan forces with the support of Algeria, proclaimed the Sahara Arab Democratic Republic in the region. The UN is pushing for a referendum in which local residents must choose between independence and membership in Morocco. However, due to the disagreements between the conflicting parties, the voting fails. Only a ceasefire agreement is in effect.