Mauritanian president returned from a short visit to Algeria without his main bodyguard who was reported dead in a suspicious incident. While Algerian pro-regime media speak of a car accident, Mauritanian media says the President’s convoy was attacked in Tindouf area by armed men loyal to a Mauritanian dissident based in Algeria. Videos on twitter showed the moment a military aircraft brought the body of the bodyguard, Mohamed Ould Chibani, to Nouakchott. The Algerian president said his country will build a road connecting Tindouf to Zouirate in Mauritania. The reported incident comes following warnings by the US to its citizens to avoid Tindouf and southern Algeria in general for fear of terrorist activity.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 23, 2024 12:29 UTC