Morocco Recalls Consul from Algeria Amid Diplomatic Tensions

Aherdane Boudaher is no longer Morocco’s consul in Oran. He returned to Oujda on a special repatriation flight of 300 Moroccans stranded in Algeria due to the closure of borders.

The recall of the consul follows a diplomatic incident between Rabat and Oran. In a video, Aherdane Boudaher would have described Algeria as an "enemy country" during a meeting with members of the Moroccan community who came to protest against Rabat’s refusal to repatriate them, reported TSA-Algérie. "We are in an enemy country; I tell you frankly," the diplomat would have said to dissuade them.

"These remarks by the Moroccan Consul General in Oran, if established, constitute a serious violation of diplomatic principles, which cannot be tolerated," the Algerian Foreign Minister had declared to the Moroccan ambassador.

In a telephone conversation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita and his Algerian counterpart, Sabri Boukadoum, had discussed the diplomatic incident on Friday, May 15. And, Algiers would have asked Rabat to recall its consul.