Two Franco-Moroccans killed by the Algerian coast guard

The facts: On Tuesday, August 29, 4 young boaters in the seaside resort of Saïdia on the Moroccan-Algerian border go out to sea for a jet ski ride without suspecting for a moment that this outing will turn, a few minutes later, into an unfortunate drama that will plunge their families and all Moroccans into mourning. Two of the four young people, Bilal Kissi and Abdelali Mechouar will be shot coldly by an Algerian coast guard, according to a voice recording of the cousin of one of the two victims. A third yachtsman, Smaïl Snabé, according to the same source would be in prison in the city of Maghnia where he was presented before the local court which would have sentenced him to 18 months in prison

Algiers and Rabat wall themselves in silence and Paris is the only one to react officially through the voice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It was only on Wednesday, late in the evening, that the information spread on Moroccan social networks. On Thursday, the funeral of Bilal Kissi took place in Beni Drar, in the north-east of Morocco, a town 22 km away from Oujda, the border town. The body of the second victim, Abdelali Mechouar, hit by several bullets would, according to sources close to his family in a hospital for the needs of the autopsy.

This tragedy, which only exacerbated the hostile feelings towards the Algiers regime, caused a stir among both Moroccans and Algerians stunned by such a cruel attitude of a coast guard who had no reason to use a firearm in front of civilian boaters without a weapon and without the slightest intention to harm.

Despite the seriousness of the facts, the Algerian authorities have superbly ignored the death of two young men, one of whom, Bilel Kissi left behind two orphans. Just as we don't know what happened to this coastguard who became a criminal with two deaths on his conscience at a time when he least expected.

For their part, the Moroccan authorities, preferring to delay and avoid falling into the trap of provocation, reacted with the voice of the government spokesman, Mustapha Baitas, who declared on this subject, during a press briefing, "that such an incident falls exclusively within the competence of the judiciary" as reported by the website of the Moroccan daily, Opinion. This indicates a Moroccan desire not to politicize the case.

For its part, Paris reacted with the voice of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which only mentioned the death of a single national without specifying the circumstances of his death, AFP reports.

"The crisis and support center of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and our embassies in Morocco and Algeria are in close contact with the families of our fellow citizens, to whom we are providing all our support," says the statement from the Quai d'Orsay adding "We are in contact with the Moroccan and Algerian authorities. The prosecutor's office has been notified," as reported by AFP.

Will the coming days bring a new development of this tragic incident that occurred in a maritime border area or will we end up stifling the case, on the Moroccan side, on the altar of patience in front of a provocative neighbor looking for the slightest alibi to set fire to the region, just to camouflage its recent failures on the international scene and its inability to ensure the minimum subsistence for its populations such as water, milk, semolina etc.?