(Source : Hespress)
Moroccan security sources who spoke to Hespress said Algeria sent army elements on Wednesday to the Ksar Ich area in Figuig Province and began an attempt to demarcate the border on the ground by placing stones and plastic bags and removing wires installed to protect the orchards of Moroccan farmers.
The sources said the incident is part of repeated Algerian “provocations” toward Morocco, and said Morocco rejects escalation and prefers “the language of reason” over confrontation.
They said Moroccan authorities moved military units to prevent the Algerian elements from continuing what they described as an incursion, and demanded that they leave the area immediately.
The sources also said that Algeria had previously incorporated agricultural lands in the Figuig area, and said the latest move represented another attempt to extend Algeria’s presence at the expense of Moroccan territory.
The sources cited the 1972 Algeria Morocco treaty as the framework governing border demarcation, but alleged Algeria has not respected its provisions on demarcation.
They also said Algeria did not comply with commitments related to joint exploitation of the Gara Djebilet iron project, describing Algeria as the source of the broader dispute and accusing it of seeking to draw Morocco into confrontation.
Emergency meetings were held involving Moroccan officials at the level of the provincial administration in Figuig, alongside military and other security officials, to decide what it described as an appropriate response after the Algerian elements were ordered to withdraw.