Ennahar
Amar Belani, spokesman of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied on Tuesday 18 February, the information of the Moroccan news agency (MAP) that the Moroccan ambassador in Algiers had “contacted the competent Algerian authorities” on alleged firing of the National People’s Army (NPA) in the direction of a Moroccan border crossing post, APS reported.
“We express our surprise about the dispatch of the MAP because I must stress that no attempt has been made by the Ambassador of Morocco to the competent Algerian authorities,” said Mr Belani in a statement to APS.
“Moreover, in case of alleged incidents to be reported, there are usual channels that the ambassador knows well,” he recalled, questioning the “motives behind the media approaches that have not occurred.”
Amar Belani did not, however, deny shooting towards the Moroccan border post.
In a statement released Monday, 17 February, the Moroccan Ministry of Interior has made serious accusations against the Algerian army.
The statement that was echoed by many Moroccan media, says Algerian soldiers fired live ammunition against a Moroccan monitoring station located in Ait Jormane in the province of Figuig. “Elements of the Algerian National People’s Army conducted Monday at 3:45 pm gunfire towards the Moroccan monitoring station Ait Jormane, along the border line between Morocco and Algeria,” adding that “two bullet holes reached the wall of the position.
