An attack that Algeria says will not go unpunished killed three Algerian nationals earlier this week and now Algiers is accusing its neighbour Morocco o
An attack that Algeria says?will not go unpunished? killed three Algerian nationals earlier this week, and now Algiers is accusing its neighbour Morocco of being behind it. The incident is just the latest in a months-long dispute between the two North African nations, but this ever-escalating feud could quickly turn into something much bigger and even be a trigger for Western intervention. This Wednesday, Algeria’s national broadcaster, Ennahar, stated that on November 1 a „barbaric bombing“ had targeted a convoy of trucks traveling between Nouakchott and Ouargla, close to the Mauritanian border with the disputed Western Sahara, a territory currently occupied by Morocco. The deadly attack, said to have killed three Algerian civilians, has sparked fears an Algeria-Morocco war could soon break out. This, in turn, could present an opportunity for NATO powers, and other international players, to intervene. In August, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra announced his country was severing diplomatic ties with the Kingdom of Morocco, citing security incidents. One week prior to this, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune asserted before a meeting of the country’s High Security Council that „incessant hostile acts perpetrated by Morocco have meant the need for a revision in relations between the two countries and the intensification of security checks.“ What’s more, on October 31, Algeria ended its gas supply contract with Morocco, which occurred just one day prior to the deadly attack, blamed on Rabat. Algiers previously supplied gas to Spain through the Gazoduc Maghreb Europe (GME) pipeline, as well as to Morocco. According to President Tebboune, the reason behind the ending of their contract is due to the breakdown in diplomatic relations with Morocco, a move which some say could send the country into a gas shortage in a matter of days. This would certainly make sense as a motivation behind the attack earlier this week.
