Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Algeria and Morocco have entered into a new fray — marked by leaking classified documents against each other.

Morocco has accused Algeria of leaking classified data obtained by an anonymous hacker. The documents were said to detail the policy of the North African kingdom on the disputed region of Western Sahara.

“We will present arguments and evidence that prove Algeria’s involvement in fueling the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara,” Moroccan Foreign Minister Salah Eddin Mezouar said.

The hundreds of documents purported to have been leaked by Algeria were said to stem from the Moroccan Foreign Ministry and the General Directorate for Studies and Documents. These documents included bank transfers as well as correspondence between senior officials.

“The leaking of classified documents belonging to Moroccan officials was carried out by Algerian secret services,” Mezouar told a news conference on Dec. 11. “Most of the leaked documents relate to the same issue.”

The leaking of the Moroccan documents, which began in October 2014, was reported in wake of a threat by the Algerian-backed Polisario to renew war against Rabat. Officials said the leak was meant to embarrass Morocco and dissuade it from pursuing its plan for autonomy for Western Sahara.

“These desperate attempts will not deter us from advancing towards maintaining the territorial integrity and the defense of the nation and its institutions,” Moroccan government spokesman Mustafa Al Khalfi said.

  Algeria-Morocco conflict escalates to salvos of leaked intel documents, WorldTribune.com