Algeria hands over 60 Moroccan migrants at border crossing

Algerian authorities handed over 60 young Moroccan migrants at the Maghnia-Oujda border crossing on Monday. 

The transfer took place at the Joj Bghal border post in Oujda and the Colonel Lotfi crossing in Maghnia, with the migrants handed over in two separate groups.

The Moroccan Association for Supporting Migrants in Difficult Situations in Oujda has been closely monitoring the cases of missing, detained, and imprisoned Moroccan migrants across migration routes in Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. 

According to the association, the returned migrants come from various Moroccan cities, including Fes, Oujda, Beni Mellal, Nador, and Safi, among others.

Some of the migrants reportedly spent over three years and six months in Algerian prisons, in addition to a year in administrative detention. 

The association said there are ongoing struggles to repatriate hundreds of other detained migrants due to procedural and logistical challenges.

Efforts are being coordinated between Moroccan and Algerian authorities, with support from consulates in Algiers, Oran, and Tlemcen. 

Despite these efforts, there are still over 480 active cases involving detained migrants, including six confirmed deaths — two of which are young women from eastern Morocco. 

Families of the deceased continue to await the return of their loved ones’ remains.

The Moroccan Association for Supporting Migrants in Difficult Situations has also contacted Algerian and Moroccan officials, as well as the International Red Cross, urging them to visit detainees and expedite their release. 

The association has called for investigations into human trafficking networks that exploit vulnerable migrants and their families.

While progress has been made with recent transfers, the association hopes that this latest handover will mark a step towards resolving the broader crisis and reuniting detained migrants with their families. 

Further releases are expected in the coming week, according to ongoing discussions between both sides.

The closed border, a consequence of the diplomatic freeze between the two nations, has inflicted immense hardship on families on both sides.  

The lack of official communication channels, according to the association, makes it extremely difficult to obtain information and resolve cases, leaving families desperate for answers about missing loved ones.