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Moroccan authorities have refused on Monday 5th of June to hand over the group of Syrian refugees to the Algerian delegation that contains representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delegates from the UN High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The information was published by Maghreb Emergent which quotes the Algerian newspaper El Khabar. «The Algerian delegation arrived to the borders and was surprised by the Moroccan authorities' decision, who refused to hand over the refugees nor provide information about their release», the same source indicated.
«They were 41, there is a few left as most of them are kids. Blocked at the borders separating Figuig in Morocco and Bechar in Algeria, the Syrians have been sleeping in the desert for 6 weeks», as reported by RFI. Most of the Syrians, according to the French radio station, have managed to enter Morocco with the help of the inhabitants of Figuig.
Prevented from entering the Algerian territory
The version of the story narrated by El Khabar and RFI was highly supported by the Syrian refugees who are still stranded in Figuig. In a Facebook live video published on Monday on a page entitled «The Syrian diaspora in Germany», a Syrian man confirmed that the group was at the buffer zone separating Morocco and Algeria. «Today, Monday the 5th of June 2017 we are still in the desert», he stated.
The refugee then explained how the Algerian HCR could not reach for them because they were on the «Moroccan territory». «They have asked us to go to Beni Ounif», he reported before indicating that they failed to do that as the Moroccan authorities stopped them. «We went there as told but the Moroccan army prevented us from crossing the borders using force», he concluded.
At first they were 41, the Syrian refugee reports that 16 of them managed to flee and enter the Moroccan territory illegally. Ten also tried to enter Morocco but were arrested and deported to the buffer zone, according to him.
«They spent 6 days before getting arrested by the authorities and deported to the desert. Life here is unbearable. We were deprived from water and food to be punished. We were deprived of these commodities while we are in Ramadan, the month of forgiveness and mercy. They have deprived us of water and food. They have deprived these children».
The Syrian stressed the fact that they are not asking for much. «We came to Algeria heading to Morocco to join our relatives and cousins. We don’t want any trouble. Every one of us wants to simply join their family», he declared.
Did Algeria pull the rug out from under Morocco ?
He then mentioned the nightmare experienced by the group of refugees. «It is hard to sleep at night. Some of us sleep while others watch for snakes and scorpions, and recently we have been fighting boars too», he said.
To conclude : «I would like to tell the world including other countries to urgently find us a solution. We are not here to cause problems».
After Algeria announced on Thursday that it will host a group of Syrian refugees stuck since April 17th at the Moroccan-Algerian borders, an official source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation told Yabiladi on Friday that the neighboring country had only assumed its responsibilities.
«By making the decision of allowing the entry of the Syrian refugees stranded on the Algerian-Moroccan border, since the 17th of April 2017, Algeria has finally accepted to assume its political and moral responsibility after several weeks of dithering and attempts to bring in, illegally, 54 Syrian refugees to the Moroccan territory», the source declared. Did Algeria pull the rug out from under Morocco by announcing on Thursday that it will host the Syrian refugees ? Or is it just a problem of misunderstanding between the ministerial department and the Moroccan authorities ?
Contacted by Yabiladi on Tuesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation was not able to explain the reasons behind the blockage. Meanwhile the lives of the Syrian refugees stranded in the buffer zone remain in danger.
