Rabat- After killing Hayat, the Moroccan navy has shot a 16-year-old boy aboard a migrant boat on Wednesday morning between Larache and Asilah off Morocco’s northern Atlantic coast.
The navy fired warning shots at the boat carrying about 50 Moroccan irregular migrants, shooting a minor, according to Moroccan television channel 2M and news outlet Alyaoum24.
Authorities have not yet reported any further details on the victim’s situation.
It is the second time the navy has shot at a migrant boat.
On September 25, while firing on a migrant boat trying to cross the Mediterranean between M’diq and Fnideq, the Moroccan navy killed one of the migrants, a 20-year-old woman, Hayat Belkacem.
Three other Moroccans in the boat were also wounded by the navy’s gunfire, Lahabib (26), Hamza (25), and Mouad (32). They were hospitalized in M’diq-Fnideq prefecture. The boat was controlled by a Spanish national.
Hayat’s death has inspired protests in the country from Moroccans who vowed to bring “justice” to Hayat.
Some of the protesters cried, “The people want to give up their nationality.” Others called on the government to hold Hayat’s “killer” accountable.
The shooting also sparked the anger of Prince Moulay Hicham, a first cousin of King Mohammed VI. He took to his Twitter to convey his concern about the “social crisis.”
Lately, Morocco has employed stricter methods of combating irregular migration to Europe, especially in the north.
Police also blocked hundreds of Moroccans trying to leave for Europe from a beach in Martil, near Tetouan, on Saturday night, September 22, which led to protests calling for “free immigration.”
