Algeria expels Moroccan journalists
Algeria has refused entry to four Moroccan journalists working for a non-governmental organisation and expelled them to Rome after holding them for several hours, Moroccan diplomatic sources said.
The organisation is called the Moroccan Sahara Association and the incident on Saturday follows increased tension between Algeria and Morocco over Western Sahara, where the Polisario Front, seeking independence from Morocco, is actively backed by Algeria.
According to the Moroccan news agency, the four journalists, one of them a woman, were held for several hours when they arrived at the Houari Boumerdiene international airport and were mistreated by the Algerian security services.
The dispute over Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony annexed by Morocco in 1975, is at the heart of renewed tension between the two countries.
Recently King Mohammed VI boycotted a regional meeting of North African countries in protest against Algeria’s reiteration of suppprt for Polisario and Rabat called off a visit by Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia scheduled for earlier this week.
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