Algeria summons Moroccan official over assault on diplomat

The Algerian Foreign Ministry on Saturday summoned the Moroccan ambassador after its diplomats came under attack by officials from Rabat during a UN meeting in the Caribbean.

Earlier, Morocco accused Algerian diplomats of “assaulting” a Moroccan diplomat during the same meeting.

The new escalation in Moroccan-Algerian relations comes amid continued tensions between the two countries over the Western Sahara conflict.

Read: Morocco’s return may lead to solution to Western Sahara conflict

While Morocco proposes a broad autonomy in Western Sahara under its sovereignty, Algeria adheres to the Sahrawi people’s right of self-determination.

The two countries also exchange accusations of responsibility for the fate of 55 Syrian refugees, mostly women and children, who have been stranded on the border between the two countries for more than a month.

The land border between Algeria and Morocco has been closed since 1994 while local, regional and international efforts have failed to end the differences between the neighbouring nations.

Observers expect tensions to continue after Morocco returned to the African Union earlier this year.