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Rabat – Algeria’s Defense Ministry claimed its security services “dismantled” what it described as a criminal group linked to the MAK movement, alleging that four of the six detainees were Moroccan nationals.
In a brief statement on Facebook, the Algerian ministry claimed that the arrests are part of “field efforts to ensure the safety and security of citizens.”
It claimed it dismantled the network in the province of Tizi Ouzou, alleging that the four arrested Moroccans were residing in Algeria illegally.
The allegations further suggest the “dismantled” network was operating in the region during Algeria’s legislative elections with the aim of “disrupting the smooth conduct of the electoral process.”
It alleges that the network also prevented citizens from participating.
The report comes as Algiers faces scrutiny over the lowest voter turnout in the country’s history.
Abstention during the July 2 elections reached a record high as the participation rate stood at just 21.24%.
And for Algeria, judging from one region (the Kabylie), it is the MAK that is in charge of this failure.
According to reports, nearly 80% of Algerian voters refused to show up.
This is not an isolated incident in which Algeria’s regime blames parties or states for different matters. Algeria cut ties with Morocco in 2021, accusing it of being behind wildfires that were actually caused by heat.
Arrests of Moroccans are not isolated in Algeria, as the country’s military reported on several detentions.
Algeria’s Ministry of National Defense also announced in January that its forces had killed three Moroccan nationals and arrested a fourth near Béchar, claiming the group was involved in drug trafficking.
In May, UN experts slammed Algeria’s regime over what they defined as a serious concern about human rights violations, including incommunicado detention, harassment, and intimidation of relatives of victims of enforced disappearances.
