'Where are our sons:' families of missing migrants in EU borders protest in Rabat

Families of people who have gone missing while attempting to migrate to Europe held a vigil on Friday to express their distress over the fate of their loved ones,

In the vigil held  in front of the European Union Commission headquarters in Rabat, the families carried a large banner seeking royal intervention to reveal the fate of their children.

They also called on human rights organizations to shed light on the missing persons’ file and provide support to reveal the truth.

The families renewed their demands for a DNA test to reveal the identity of bodies in morgues in Nador and Algeria, as well as facilitating the granting of visas for the concerned families.

In a memorandum addressed to the Ambassador of the European Union in Rabat, the Association “Aiding Migrants in Difficult Situation” called on the European Union countries, Morocco, and concerned Maghreb countries to disclose the fate of the missing youths and bear responsibility for publishing their lists and places of detention, as well as the immediate release of those detained and the handing over of the remains of the deceased.

The Association expressed concern over the high number of young candidates for irregular migration who are missing, detained, and deceased between the borders of southern countries with the European Union, due to the lack of opportunities and horizons for Moroccan youth.

The vigil and message to the European Union Ambassador in Rabat were a necessary step for the families, following several unsuccessful attempts to receive answers through investigation and research for more than a year.