Their Sentence Is Over, but Algeria Is Still Detaining Moroccans
Moroccans who have completed their prison sentences in Algeria are reportedly still being held in administrative detention while awaiting their return to the kingdom. More than 800 cases have now been recorded, and the situation has officially reached the Moroccan Parliament.
The fate of hundreds of Moroccans stranded in Algeria is now concerning Parliament. Member of Parliament Moulay Mehdi Fatmi addressed a written question to Nasser Bourita, asking the government to speed up their return and clarify the steps taken with the Algerian authorities.
The document, officially published by the House of Representatives, reports more than 800 cases being monitored by a specialized Moroccan association. They concern prisoners as well as people still under investigation, nationals awaiting deportation, and Moroccans held in administrative detention after already serving their sentences.
More than 600 Moroccans are reportedly currently in Algerian prisons, in cases mainly related to attempts at irregular migration. Around 100 others are still under investigation.
On Bladi.net : article 121934
The most surprising situation concerns those whose sentences have already ended. According to data from the Moroccan Association for Assistance to Migrants in Vulnerable Situations (AMSV), approximately 113 people are either in the process of being repatriated to Morocco or are still being held in administrative detention despite having completed their sentences.
Prison over, the wait can continue
The phenomenon is not new. In June, 34 Moroccans were finally able to return to the kingdom after being detained in Algeria. Most had just completed sentences handed down for irregular residence, while the AMSV was already raising the issue of nationals remaining stranded after their judicial release.
The return generally takes place via the closed land border between the two countries. The Algerian authorities take the people concerned to the Maghnia area before handing them over to the Moroccan authorities at Zouj Bghal, near Oujda.
The border is then opened only occasionally to allow these transfers. On August 19, 49 Moroccans, including three minors and two women, were handed over to Morocco. Ten others had already used the same crossing a week earlier, according to data provided by the AMSV.
However, these successive operations are not enough to clear the number of pending cases. In the spring, hundreds of Moroccans had already been reported stranded in Algeria, some simply waiting for the formalities required for their deportation to be completed.
On Bladi.net : article 122295
The case is all the more sensitive because the two countries have closed their land border and severed diplomatic relations. The procedures must therefore be conducted through the Moroccan consular representations still present in Algeria.
The AMSV says it is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as with the Moroccan consulates in Algiers, Oran and Tlemcen to identify the people concerned, inform their families and facilitate repatriations.
Member of Parliament Moulay Mehdi Fatmi is now asking Nasser Bourita what measures are being taken, in coordination with Algiers, to “speed up” the resolution of these situations and guarantee the legal and human rights of Moroccan nationals.
His question, submitted on August 28, has so far received no official response. It also mentions Moroccans reported missing in Algeria, another aspect of the more than 800 cases currently being monitored.