UN confirms entry of two Algerian trucks in Northeastern Moroccan Sahara

The UN has belied the false reports and baseless accusations made by the Algerian presidency blaming Morocco for the recent death of three Algerian truckers in an alleged bombing near Mauritanian borders, without specifying the exact location of the incident.

For its part, Nouakchott had affirmed that no air strike or attack occurred on its territory adding to the embarrassment of the Algerian military junta seeking confrontation with Morocco which continues to show self-restraint and insists on neighborliness.

Commenting the conflicting reports on the incident, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General said: “We can now confirm that the site is in the eastern part of the Sahara near Bir Lahlou”.

The UN Mission (MINURSO) “observed two trucks with Algerian license plates parked parallel to each other. Both trucks had suffered extensive damage and charring”, he underlined in his daily press briefing held Friday in New York.

As the east of the Berm is considered a militarized zone and there is already an existing border checkpoint between Mauritania and Algeria, why the two trucks’ drivers did not use this route and why they have driven into a military operation area, asked a journalist?

“I have no explanation why the trucks are where they are. This is a matter that’s being looked into, but I’ve just reported to you what the initial results are”, said the Spokesman for the UN Secretary General in answer to this question.

In another UN press briefing, a spokeswoman for the UN Chief said the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is aware of the situation and calls for dialogue for the de-escalation of tensions.

“It is necessary to wait for the new UN Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura to start his work on the ground to see how he can help improve the situation”, she added.