Algeria’s Defense Ministry has implicitly slammed two European governments on a case involving an alleged ransom to release hostages in Mali, which sparked controversy earlier this month.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said it arrested Mustapha Derar, an Algerian national, in Tlemcen.
Security forces had tracked him after crossing the border into Algeria. The man had joined a terrorist group in 2012, it added.
In early October, foreign parties held negotiations that resulted in an agreement in which Mali releases more than 200 terrorist elements and pay a ransom for extremist groups in exchange for releasing one Malian national and three European hostages.
Malian authorities have neither confirmed nor denied that militants were released in exchange for Soumaila Cisse, Sophie Petronin, Pierluigi Maccalli and Nicola Chiacchio.
The ministry’s statement on foreign parties involved most likely refers to France and Italy.
This is the first time that Algiers almost directly accuses France of paying ransom to terrorists to secure the release of captives.
“These actions are unacceptable and violate UN resolutions, which criminalize paying ransoms to terrorist groups since it would impede efforts to combat terrorism and dry up terrorists’ sources of financing,” the statement stressed.
Separately, the 21-day political and media campaign to win over 23.5 million Algerians to vote in favor of the constitutional referendum, set for November 1, ended on Wednesday.
The referendum coincides with the inauguration of the Great Mosque of Algiers, the 66th anniversary of the Algerian Revolution and falls on the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday.
Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad said the new constitution will save the country from corruption, mismanagement and one-man rule, which marked president Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s ruling period.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who drafted the new constitution, will most likely miss the vote after he was transferred from hospital in Algiers to Germany following reports of suspected coronavirus cases among his aides.
Tebboune failed to attend the religious ceremony that was held on Tuesday evening to mark the birth of the Prophet Mohammad.
The event was attended by the Premier and some MPs and took place in Algeria's Grand Mosque, known locally as the Djamaa El-Djazair.
