Moroccan aircraft can no longer fly over Algeria

Algeria’s supreme security council decided yesterday to close the country’s airspace to all Moroccan civil and military aircraft, the Algerian presidency said, less than a month after it cut diplomatic ties with the kingdom.

The decision came “in view of the continued provocations and hostile practices on the Moroccan side”, it said in a statement.

The closure also includes any aircraft carrying a Moroccan registration number, the presidency said after a meeting of the council.

There was no immediate Moroccan official response. A source at Royal Air Maroc said the closure would only affect 15 flights weekly linking Morocco with Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt.

Algeria late last month decided to cut diplomatic ties with Morocco, citing “hostile actions” from the kingdom, referring mainly to comments made by Morocco’s envoy in New York in favour of the self-determination of the Kabylie region in Algeria.

Algiers also accused Rabat of backing MAK, a separatist group that the government has declared a terrorist organisation.

Relations have deteriorated since last year, when the Western Sahara issue flared up after years of comparative quiet.