The Algerian presidency stated in a statement published on Wednesday that three of its citizens were killed on Monday in a bombing attributed to Morocco, targeting trucks making trips between Mauritania and Algeria. The statement regarded that "several elements indicate the involvement of Moroccan occupying forces in Western Sahara in committing this cowardly assassination using advanced weaponry."
The Algerian news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the country’s presidency, about the death of three Algerians on Monday in a bombing attributed to Morocco that targeted trucks conducting regular trade exchanges between the region's people. The statement clarified that "three Algerian nationals were subjected to a cowardly assassination in a barbaric attack on their trucks while traveling between Nouakchott and Ouargla as part of regular commercial movement."
It added that "several elements suggest the involvement of Moroccan occupying forces in Western Sahara in committing this cowardly assassination with advanced weaponry." However, the Algerian statement did not specify the exact location of the bombing. Amin Khareef, the head of the specialized site "Mena Defense," told the French news agency that "Algerian truck drivers were killed in Bir Lahlou in Western Sahara."
The Algerian presidency stated in its statement that "their assassination will not go unpunished," praising the "three innocent victims of state terrorism." For its part, the Mauritanian military denied in a statement that such an attack occurred on Mauritanian territory.
A decades-long conflict exists between Morocco and the Polisario Front over the former Spanish colony, which the United Nations classifies among "non-self-governing territories." Morocco, which controls nearly 80% of the vast desert area, proposes to grant it autonomy under its sovereignty. Meanwhile, the Polisario Front, which is supported by Algeria, calls for a self-determination referendum overseen by the United Nations, which was acknowledged during the signing of the ceasefire agreement between the warring parties in September 1991.
