Algeria Declares Morocco A ‘Hostile’ Country

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Algeria has decided to review its relations with Morocco, accusing its neighbor of hostile acts.

It follows an investigation into the killing of a man falsely accused of starting wildfires.

“The repeated hostile acts committed by Morocco against Algeria require a review of our relations and the intensification of border controls,” the Algerian president’s office said in a statement.

The decision was made in a meeting of the High-Security Council assessing the damage caused by huge wildfires that hit the country.

The authorities have concluded the majority were “criminal acts”.

They accuse Morocco of “backing” a separatist group suspected of being involved in criminal activity in the Kabylie region, including the killing of a man falsely accused of starting forest fires.

The Algerian police investigating the killing of Djamel Bensmail by a mob in the province of Tizi Ouzou has released a video of suspects confessing to the crime and to be members of the MAK separatist group.