Two Mauritanians have been killed in an area bordering the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, also known as the Western Sahara, last weekend, Mauritania said on Wednesday after media reports attributed a deadly attack to Morocco.
“Based on what we know, two Mauritanians died in the incident that took place on Sunday,” said Mauritanian government spokesperson Mohamed Melainine Ould Eyih in a press conference .
“The incident happened outside our national territory,” he added, without commenting on the events.
According to media linked to the Sahrawi pro-independence movement Polisario Front, a Moroccan airstrike on Sunday targeted trucks near the border with Mauritania, killing three people.
Following the media reports, Algeria accused Morocco of carrying out the deadly attack.
Morocco, on the other hand, has not made any official comment on the operation, nor has it been independently confirmed.
The Western Sahara has been the scene of conflict since 1975. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), represented primarily by the Polisario Front, is waging a resistance war against attempts by Morocco to annex the region into its kingdom. The SADR is officially recognised by 41 UN member states, including Mauritania and Algeria, and by the African Union, but much of its territory remains occupied by Moroccan forces.
