Algeria Issues Ultimatum to Moroccan Farmers Near Border, Escalating Tensions

It was during a raid that Algerian soldiers and gendarmes summoned the Moroccan farmers to leave the farms on Thursday, on the grounds that these agricultural lands belong to Algeria. According to the Algerian newspaper El Khabar, Algeria had, for humanitarian reasons, allowed Moroccan peasants to continue their agricultural activities on the border strip near the town of El Arja in the wilaya of Béchar on Algerian territory.

However, explosions had been heard in the region after February 20 last. It was in fact a demining operation in the area carried out by the Moroccan authorities, in order to expand the agricultural holdings on Algerian territory. Sources indicated to the Algerian media that the Algerian authorities had contacted the authorities of the city of Figuig, on the Moroccan side, to settle this situation. Radio silence. The civil and military authorities of the wilaya of Béchar then asked the Moroccan farmers settled on new lands to evacuate the premises with their equipment, no later than March 18.

Faced with the situation, the Moroccan farmers organized a march last Saturday in the town of Figuig, in order to demand compensation from the authorities of their country. For the time being, the Algerian and Moroccan authorities have not yet spoken out on this matter.