Algerian Army chief says Morocco's "ramblings" reach "an intolerable threshold"

He strongly criticizes the publication by a media outlet of a map of Morocco that includes Algerian territory

MADRID, 16 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The head of the Algerian Army General Staff, Said Chanegriha, has criticized that Morocco's "ramblings" have reached "an intolerable threshold", after a Moroccan media published a map of the country that included areas of Algerian territory as part from the neighboring country.

Chanegriha has pointed to a "positive dynamic in Algeria" that "is not appreciated by the enemies of the (Algerian) people and their supporters, who seem to be losing their minds." "Finding no other means than to mobilize their media skills and paid pens, they are trying to damage the image of Algeria," he declared.

Thus, the head of the Algerian Army has denounced that these "enemies" resort to "attacking the institutions and questioning their historical and geographical references." "These ramblings have reached an intolerable threshold in affecting our national sovereignty and territorial integrity, for which millions of brave martyrs sacrificed themselves," he said.

"These conspirators should know that the brave Algerian people, linked body and soul to their Army and security forces, are fully aware of who is instigating these perfidious plans and will know how to deal with these plots at the right time," he stressed, according to a transcript of his statements provided by the Algerian Defense Ministry.

Finally, he stressed that the Algerian population "is determined to dissuade anyone who dares to step on even a small plot of their blessed land or try to undermine their national sovereignty."

Chanegriha's words have come after the weekly 'Maroc Hebdo' published on the cover of its latest issue a map of Morocco that includes, in addition to Western Sahara, the areas of southwest Algeria that France controlled during colonial times and that ceded to Algiers at the time of its independence in 1961.

The issue came back to the fore at the end of February, after the director of the Moroccan Royal Archives, Bahija Simu, assured that "there are not only historical documents that testify to Morocco's sovereignty over what is called 'Western Sahara' but also for 'Eastern Sahara'".

In this sense, Simu said that Rabat was available to the researchers for consultation and specified that it deals not only with correspondence but also with maps and treaties and agreements "from medieval times to the present day".

The relationship between Morocco and Algeria has not been easy but it is currently in one of its most delicate moments. Algeria broke diplomatic relations in August 2021, after which it proceeded in October of that same year to close the Maghreb Europe Gas Pipeline (GME), through which it supplied natural gas to Spain via Morocco.