Algeria will expel 105 Malians for being members of the Ansar Eddine militant group, an official source said on Wednesday, the first such action in the North African country against the group.
“It is a decision of Algiers’ court,” the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
The United Nations on Tuesday urged Algeria to stop rounding up and expelling sub-Saharan migrants.
Algeria has rejected the criticism, saying it was facing a massive influx of illegal migrants on its southern borders with Mali and Niger.
Militants linked to Malian jihadist Iyad Ag Ghali have claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks on Malian, United Nations and French troops operating in Mali’s desert north.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and a local branch of Islamic state are the two main militant groups in Algeria.
Source: Reuters
