Morocco has rejected humanitarian aid offered by Algeria to help the neighboring country deal with the aftermath of last week's earthquake, the Algerian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It said on Tuesday that Rabat has conveyed to the Algerian Consul in Casablanca that Morocco no longer requires humanitarian aid from Algeria.
The response came after a controversy arose on Monday when the Algerian authorities announced they will mobilize three military planes transporting humanitarian aid and personnel to help Morocco confront the repercussions of the deadly earthquake that struck the country on Friday night.
Later, Algerian media published photos of the planes, saying they were preparing to depart from Boufarik military airport to Morocco.
The media outlets also published statements by Algerian Civil Defense personnel who said they were heading to Morocco.
Algiers’ move to send the airplanes came when the Moroccan Justice Minister, Abdellatif Ouahbi, told Al-Arabiya channel that his country was accepting Algerian aid.
Later, Moroccan media quoted a source close to the Justice Minister as saying that his statements had been misinterpreted.
Although Algerian media said Algiers considered Ouahbi’s approval as a cause for its decision to equip the aid aircraft, the source at the Moroccan Justice Ministry said the Minister initially accepted all assistance to Morocco, but only through coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Minister also denied having contacted any Algerian official.
Algeria severed ties with Morocco and closed its airspace to Rabat two years ago.
