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Twenty-one Moroccan migrants were handed over by Algerian authorities on Monday through the temporary reopening of the Zouj Beghal border crossing, according to the Moroccan Association for Assistance to Migrants in Difficult Situations.
In a statement, the association said all those repatriated were men who had either attempted irregular migration or had been staying in Algeria without legal status. Most had completed prison sentences under Algerian legislation regulating the entry and stay of foreigners.
The association noted that this is the seventh such group repatriated since the beginning of the year. The migrants came from several Moroccan cities, including Oujda, Errachidia, Taza, Berkane, Fez, Essaouira, Casablanca and El Jadida.
According to the group, it had monitored the cases by helping families send documents confirming the migrants’ identities. Relatives later received the deportees near the border crossing, while the association said it continues to follow their situation.
The organization added that it is currently monitoring more than 500 cases involving migrants, prisoners and missing persons, including more than 100 cases currently undergoing deportation procedures. It also said it receives new files daily, some concerning people sentenced to more than 10 years in prison.
The association further renewed its call for Algerian authorities to hand over the remains of six deceased Moroccans currently held in morgues in Tlemcen, Oran and Béchar so their families can bury them. It reaffirmed its commitment to monitoring cases of missing persons and defending migrants’ rights.
