Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit has called on Algeria and Morocco to exercise restraint and avoid further escalation following Algeria’s announcement of severing its diplomatic ties with Morocco.
Aboul-Gheit urged both countries to restore the minimum level of relations to preserve their interests and the stability of the region.
Algerian Foreign Minister, Ramtane Lamamra had announced on Tuesday that his country is severing diplomatic relations with Morocco.
He said the decision is motivated by the fact that Algeria rejects the logic of the “fait accompli” and the unilateral policies that Morocco has been taking.
Both countries have had strained relations for decades, mainly over the issue of Western Sahara.
Algeria described lethal wildfires which broke out on August 9 amid a blistering heatwave as the work of groups it labelled “terrorist”, one of which it said was backed by Morocco.
The forest fires burned tens of thousands of hectares of forest and killed at least 90 people, including more than 30 soldiers.
