Algeria Arrests 61 Moroccans Over Suspected Sabotage Plot

Algerian authorities have arrested 61 Moroccan nationals on suspicion of planning acts of sabotage, according to the country’s General Directorate of National Security (DGSN).

In a statement carried by public media on Sunday, the security agency described the suspects as members of an “international Moroccan criminal network” but provided no further details about the alleged plot.

The DGSN said the suspects, including a former Moroccan army soldier, were preparing to carry out acts intended to undermine security and public order. It added that they had entered Algeria through mountain trails from neighbouring Tunisia.

The arrests come amid longstanding tensions between Algeria and Morocco. The two North African countries have kept their shared land border closed since 1994, while Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021.

A major source of disagreement is Western Sahara, a mineral-rich former Spanish colony that Morocco has largely controlled since 1975. The United Nations considers the territory non-self-governing.

Morocco regards Western Sahara as part of its territory, while Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front and its demand for self-determination.

SOURCE: AFP