ALGIERS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said Sunday that the killing of 40 soldiers in clashes with armed groups in the country is due to the spread of Libyan arms in the African Sahel region. Ouyahia told a news conference here that the unrest in Libya has led to the spread of weapons among "terrorist groups," adding that the killing of 40 Algerian soldiers in the past few weeks has a direct connection with the spread of arms in the region.
Ouyahia also called for the "immediate cease-fire in Libya."
Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci has earlier expressed concerns that violence in Libya might have negative impact on Algeria's counterterrorism activities.
"We have to take into consideration that in case the crisis in Libya aggravated, the situation would probably go beyond the Libyan borders and then would become an issue of the region," Medelci said.