Moroccan-Algerian border temporarily reopens to repatriate 32 Moroccans

After nearly three decades of closure, the land borders between Morocco and Algeria have been temporarily reopened, allowing 32 young Moroccans, including two women, to return to Oujda. These individuals had been convicted by the Algerian judiciary for «illegal immigration», according to a statement released Thursday by the Moroccan Association for Assistance to Migrants in Vulnerable Situations.

The NGO highlighted that some Moroccans remain detained in Algeria despite having completed their sentences. «They have been held in administrative detention for over six months», the organization stated, renewing its call to the Algerian government to repatriate the remains of six Moroccans.

In its statement, the Moroccan Association for Assistance to Migrants in Vulnerable Situations reported that 520 Moroccans are either missing or incarcerated in Algerian prisons. This estimate is also supported by the Moroccan League for the Defense of Human Rights, affiliated with the Istiqlal Party.