Deputy Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, Farhan Haq said on Friday that the three Algerian trucks that Algiers claimed were attacked by Morocco were found in the eastern part of Western Sahara near Bir Lahlou, which is a buffer zone in the disputed area.
The area is military zone overseen by the UN mission, MINURSO. The trucks were running between Mauritania and Algeria.
“MINURSO did look into this. We learned of the incident on November 2. MINURSO then was able to send initial patrol to the site of the alleged incident on November 3,” Haq told a press briefing.
“We can now confirm that the site is in the eastern part of Western Sahara near Bir Lahlou. The Mission observed two trucks with Algerian license plates parked parallel to each other. Both trucks had suffered extensive damage and charring.”
Asked by a reporter why the vehicles were located in the military operation area, knowing there already is an existing border checkpoint between Mauritania and Algerian, he replied: “I have no explanation for why the trucks are where they are. This is a matter that's being looked into.”
Bir Lahlou is considered Moroccan territory but it has been placed under UN supervision to act as a buffer zone east of the security wall constructed by Rabat to ward off attacks by the separatist Polisario Front.
The Algerian presidency had accused Morocco of attacking the commercial trucks, which it said were traveling from Algeria to Mauritania. It vowed that the crime will not go unpunished.
Morocco dismissed the incident as fabricated, saying the trucks were carrying weapons to the Polisario Front and that they were destroyed in a minefield.
Since the incident, Algerian media has been waging a fierce campaign against Morocco, threatening war.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra has written to UN chief Antonio Guterres and head of the African Union over the incident. Guterres, for his part, has urged calm and dialogue from Morocco and Algeria.
