Two shepherds killed near Algerian-Moroccan border amid surge in 'terrorist' attacks

In Algeria, authorities have reported a new terrorist attack targeting locals near the Moroccan border amid heightened security concerns in the North African country.

On Monday, 16 September, an armed group killed two shepherds in a forested area of Beni Snouss in western Algeria, near the Moroccan borders. The victims, Abdelhamid Jorda and Abdelkader Ben Chert, aged 40 and 43, were working when they were attacked, according to local authorities.

Following the assault, the attackers rigged the crime scene with explosives, injuring three soldiers who arrived to recover the bodies. The military unit was dispatched in response to reports of the violence.

So far, it remains unclear who was behind the attack. Local media speculate that the armed group is likely affiliated with Al-Qaeda in "the Islamic Maghreb."

In recent months, Algeria has seen a resurgence of terrorist attacks reportedly linked to Al-Qaeda and other locally-classified terrorist groups.

Since April, the Algerian military has killed four men allegedly connected to Al-Qaeda in the country's north. One of them was  "Abu Duhah," an active member of the group for 18 years. They have arrested four others.

The last major terrorist attack in Algeria occurred in 2013 when al-Qaeda-linked militants took approximately 800 expatriates hostage at the Tigantourine gas facility near In Amenas in eastern Algeria.

Last month, Algeria's military said it had "thwarted a terrorist plot" involving 21 people linked to the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK), a group advocating for self-determination for the Amazigh Kabylia region. The MAK, classified as a terrorist organisation in Algeria since 2021, has denied allegations of involvement in car bombings and collaboration with Morocco and Israel.

Some Algerian politicians have attributed the surge in armed attacks to "hostile foreign intelligence services" targeting the country's security amid a crucial presidential race.

On 7 September, Algiers held its first presidential election since suppressing the Hirak movement, which ousted the two-decade regime of Bouteflika. The incumbent president Abdelmadjid Tebboune won 84.3% of the vote, surpassing his 2019 victory by millions of votes and a significant margin.

During the campaign, presidential candidate Abdelaali Hassani of the moderate Islamist party, the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), accused Morocco of "historically conspiring against Algeria." 

A week before the presidential election, Algeria's military ministry said it had arrested four Moroccans as part of a recent spy network bust. Rabat has yet to officially address the events.

Algeria severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021 following Rabat's decision to normalise relations with Israel. Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra claimed at the time that Morocco's actions were "a hostile act" that added to a list of "unfriendly actions" toward Algeria.