Hundreds of Moroccans demand justice after the death of two young men at the hands of Algerian coastguards

Hundreds of Moroccans demonstrated in front of the Parliament in Rabat to demand justice and denounce "the shooting deaths of two people by Algerian coastguards". Last week, two French-Moroccan tourists died after being shot by Algerian coastguards while enjoying a jet ski excursion in Saidia, near the Algerian border.

The Algerian Ministry of Defence itself acknowledged shooting the two victims and three other men travelling with them after "several verbal warnings to stop".

Morocco, for its part, has opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of "a violent incident at sea". However, this does not seem to be enough for many Moroccan citizens, who are demanding justice and stronger measures against Algiers. As reported by Euronews, the protesters accuse Rabat of not doing enough to challenge the Algerian authorities.

On the contrary, local media have criticised and condemned the action of the Algerian coastguard, giving a voice to the families of the victims who have even been blackmailed by the Algiers regime. In the same way, human rights organisations and activists have also turned to the victims, demanding justice and condemning Algeria's violence.  

Numerous associations such as the Moroccan League for Citizenship and Human Rights, the Moroccan National Council for Human Rights and the Amazigh League for Human Rights have spoken out, denouncing the crime and urging the authorities to take action. The Amazigh League for Human Rights has even asked the United Nations to open an investigation into the incident, as this event "constitutes a crime against humanity".

On the other hand, the death of the two young French-Moroccan men has served to highlight the violence employed by the Algiers regime. Driss Al-Sedraoui, national president of the Moroccan League for Citizenship and Human Rights, recalls that Algiers also commits "real crimes" against its own nationals, underlining for example the case of the region of Kabylia. "Algeria violates human rights to a large extent", he added.

Last year, the North African country suffered a major crackdown on political dissidents, independent journalists and activists linked to the Hirak protest movement. The Algerian authorities have even tried to silence opponents in exile in countries such as France.

Regarding their actions against Morocco, activists and organisations point out that this is not the first time that something like what happened in Saidia has happened. In 2014 an Algerian soldier shot at Moroccan citizens, while in 2011 a Moroccan soldier was killed at the border adjacent to the town of Jerada. 

This incident could further strain relations between the two neighbouring countries, without diplomatic ties since August 2021. Likewise, this event could also involve France, as the two victims had dual French and Moroccan nationality. For this reason, the French public prosecutor's office has decided to open an investigation to clarify the facts.