Morocco has said it is ready to help Algeria fight the deadly fires raging in the north of the country, amid tensions between the two neighbors.
Read also: In Algeria, the power weakened by the fires and the Covid
This declaration comes after the appeal launched in early August by the King of Morocco Mohamed VI to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune "
to make wisdom prevail
" and "to
work in unison for the development of relations
" between the two neighboring countries.
Two Canadair sent by Morocco
Mohammed VI gave instructions to express "
the availability of the Kingdom of Morocco to help Algeria fight the forest fires which are ravaging several regions of the country
", according to a statement Wednesday from the Moroccan Foreign Ministry.
"
Two Canadair were mobilized to participate in this operation, with the agreement of the Algerian authorities
", according to the same source.
At least 69 people have died in dozens of fires that have struck northern Algeria since Monday evening against which firefighters, soldiers and volunteers are trying to fight.
Without responding directly to King Mohamed VI's appeal in early August, President Tebboune said Sunday, during a meeting with the press, that Algeria was prepared to host a meeting between Morocco and the Polisario.
Relations between Rabat and Algiers have been strained for decades, due to Algeria's support for the Polisario Front which is calling for a self-determination referendum in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, while Morocco, which controls around 80% of this vast desert territory, proposes a plan of autonomy under its sovereignty.