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‘Confrontation’ with Morocco Becomes Part of Algeria’s Election Campaigns

A picture taken from the Moroccan region of Oujda shows Algerian border guards patrolling along the border with Morocco on November 4, 2021. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
A picture taken from the Moroccan region of Oujda shows Algerian border guards patrolling along the border with Morocco on November 4, 2021. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
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‘Confrontation’ with Morocco Becomes Part of Algeria’s Election Campaigns

A picture taken from the Moroccan region of Oujda shows Algerian border guards patrolling along the border with Morocco on November 4, 2021. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
A picture taken from the Moroccan region of Oujda shows Algerian border guards patrolling along the border with Morocco on November 4, 2021. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Election campaigns for mayoral candidates in Algeria, which kickstarted this week, were marked by strong criticism of Morocco over the killing of three Algerians in a Western Sahara buffer zone between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the Algerian government wrote to international organizations about its accusation of Rabat being behind the attack.

During propaganda rallies for mayoral electoral campaigns, party leaders called for Algeria’s response to match the level of the event.

According to reports, three truck drivers had been killed in a bombing as they were traveling between the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott and the Algerian city of Ouargla.

Most party and independent candidates pointed out to the need to preserve the rights of the victims without having war break out.

“Avoid falling into the trap of slipping into war, but without compromising the rights of the victims by responding appropriately to the aggressors,” Abu Fadl Baaji, Secretary-General of the Liberation Front, told activists in Laghouat.

In other news, Algeria announced that Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra had sent messages to several international organizations to follow up on the assassination of the three Algerian truckers.

The messages were addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and Organization of Islamic Cooperation Secretary-General Youssef Ben Ahmed Al-Othaimeen.

In these official letters, Lamamra informed the heads of international organizations of “the extreme gravity of this indefensible act.”

Lamamra expressed “the willingness and ability of Algeria to assume its responsibilities in protecting its citizens and their property in all circumstances.”

In addition, ambassadors accredited to Algeria were received at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Algeria’s contact with the UN and regional bodies on the issue of the killing of its nationals, according to observers, is an effort to bring international diplomatic pressure against Rabat.

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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)

The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city’s far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas.

RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation.

In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed “deep anger, pain, and responsibility” over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the “suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,” describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.”

Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this “atrocious” crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence.

He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

The prime minister highlighted the RSF’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians.

Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians.

“What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,” he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians.

The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers.

The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.