The association said 22 young Moroccans were expelled and handed over at the Colonel Lotfi and Zouj Bghal land passage in northeastern Morocco on Tuesday. It said the group included 20 men and two women. The association described them as migrants, but said the reasons for their presence in Algeria were not explained.
The association, which says it monitors the situation of Moroccan nationals in Algeria, including migrants prosecuted by Algerian courts, said it is currently following around 500 cases. More than 100 of those cases are in the process of being returned to Morocco, it added.
The group returned this week is the second handed over in recent months, according to the association. A previous group of 16 Moroccans was returned in December, it said.
The association said the individuals it identified come from multiple Moroccan cities, including Oujda, Berkane, Taounate, Fez, Beni Mathar, Tangier, Khenifra, Taza, Settat, Zayo, Nador and Ait Melloul.
The association said it has been in contact with Algerian authorities and that some Moroccan citizens remain subject to administrative and legal procedures before being taken to the border for removal. It added that it receives new notifications of cases on a daily basis.
It also said Algerian courts routinely sentence young Moroccans who are apprehended to prison terms exceeding 10 years. The association added that the fate of other Moroccan migrants who have died remains unclear, saying Algerian authorities have refused to repatriate bodies.
On Jan. 29, Algeria’s Ministry of Defence said three Moroccans were killed and a fourth arrested during an armed forces operation in Bechar in the south near the border.
Algerian authorities accused the four of drug trafficking, while their families denied the account and described them as civilians, including herders and mechanics. The text cites a 2023 case in which two Moroccans were shot and a third arrested, with families still seeking the return of bodies for burial.
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