Algeria expels Mauritanian diplomat in a tit for tat move, as diplomatic row unfolds
Algeria on Sunday expelled a Mauritanian diplomat in response to a similar move taken earlier by Mauritania against a member of Algeria’s diplomatic mission in Nouakchott, a diplomatic source in Algiers has said.
The source told “Echorouk” that Algeria’s Foreign Ministry expelled Mohamed Ould Abdullah, a security advisor for Mauritania’s embassy in Algiers, after declaring him “persona non grata.”
The source added that the diplomat started preparations for leaving Algeria after receiving Algiers’ stern message.
Earlier on Sunday, an Algerian diplomat described as both “surprising” and “incomprehensible” a decision by Mauritania to declare Belkacem Cherouati, a senior advisor at the Algerian embassy in Mauritania, “persona non grata.”
Speaking to “Echorouk TV”, the diplomat added that Algeria was considering an official response to the baffling Mauritanian declaration.
Mauritanian media said the decision was taken because the Algerian diplomat stood behind an article published by a Mauritanian website, noting that the article criticized Mauritania’s foreign policies.
Mauritanian media went on to say that the controversial article talked about a complaint filed by Mauritania at the United Nations against Morocco, accusing the latter of flooding Mauritania’s northern border with narcotics.
Mauritania’s Al-Bayan website had recently published an article alleging that a complaint had been filed by Mauritania against Morocco at the UN, accusing it of flooding the country with drugs.
Mauritanian authorities lamely denied this allegation, deeming the incident an attempt to destabilize its relations with Rabat.
They later arrested the website’s editor.
On Saturday, Algeria’s “Echorouk” daily quoted Mr Belkacem Cherouati as saying that he had fallen victim to a conspiracy in this matter.
The diplomat refused, however, to mention further details.
The incident is unprecedented in Algerian-Mauritanian relations which have been stable in recent years.