The allegations contained in a report soon to be released by “Groupe antiraciste d'accompagnement et de défense des étrangers et migrants” (GADEM) describing Morocco’s handling of Sub-Saharan African Immigrants that transit or reside in the Kingdom are rather disturbing. Morocco, a country of immigration, has become a favorite transit point of would be immigrants moving from Africa towards the European “paradise”. The growth in numbers of African immigrants making the journey north via Morocco gave birth to several communities of Sub-Saharans that settled in different regions of Morocco most of them without “legal” residency status. Even tough the vast majority of these immigrants are awaiting passage to Spain and are temporary on Moroccan territory, they still live in fear of Moroccan police and under deplorable living conditions. The upcoming GADEM report makes some serious and disturbing allegations against the Moroccan authorities. The most unsettling among them is the allegation that the Moroccan navy intentionally sank a patera in order to stop it from crossing to Spain, leading to the death of several would be immigrants. Morocco has denied the allegations despite testimonies from witnesses that survived the April 2008 incident. Such accusations have far reaching consequences, especially in light of the recent crack down against Moroccan immigrants by Spanish police. How can Moroccans complain about the way “la Guardia” treats their citizens when their own security forces are brutalizing immigrants in Morocco?
The most disconcerting of the allegations is reports of Moroccan Police violence against Sub-Saharans during identity checks and deportations. GADEM has credible evidence of violation by Moroccan security forces of human rights in breach of the UN Geneva Convention on the status of refugees and the Convention on the rights of migrant workers and their families during the removal of immigrants from Moroccan territory. This convention is used to protect the rights of thousand of Moroccan immigrants living in Europe.
The 2006 images of dozens of Sub-Saharan Africans thrown on the Algeria-Morocco borders are still vivid in the memory of millions of Africans around the world. Such images should not be repeated as it hurts the prospect of current Moroccan immigrants currently in irregular status to get legal residency in their host country and weakens the work and the status on pro-immigrant organizations working in Europe.
Obviously, Morocco has every right to protect its borders from illegal entry. By the same token Morocco, with more than 3 millions of its citizens living overseas, has an obligation to respect and uphold international law to protect migrants living within its border regardless of their nationalities or countries of origin. The phenomenal of the so-called illegal immigration is a socio-economic problem and not a security matter.
European pressures on Morocco to crack down on refugees and migrants living in Morocco must stop. Morocco is not Europe’s border policeman. The European moral responsibility is intertwined with Morocco’s policies toward migrants.
With an economy reliant on remittances from its citizens living overseas, Morocco should be a leader in defending the rights of migrants and decrying the inhumane immigration policies of some European countries. The same goes for the civil society, Moroccans citizens should show more sympathy, understanding and inclusiveness toward Sub-Saharan migrants and refugees living in Morocco. After all, all migrants leave their homeland by necessity and not choice.
Moroccan living overseas (MRE) should expect NOTHING LESS than a thorough, comprehensive, transparent and honest reply from the Moroccan authorities to the GADEM report. Moroccan officials must understand that such report, if it stays unanswered, will hamper future efforts to defend Moroccan citizens around the world. Beside, it is the moral thing to do. We all are “Illegal” Sub-Saharans in a way!! AddThis
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