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Rabat – The French magazine Jeune Afrique has stated that the expulsion of Prince Moulay Hicham from Tunisia was most likely the work of Saudi Arabia and Emirates.
The cousin of King Mohammed VI and researcher at Harvard University was due to give a lecture on regional security before he was ordered to leave Tunisian territories on September 8. The Harvard researcher, known for his pro-Arab Spring positions and calls for reforming monarchies in the region, was then flown to Paris on an Air France plane.
Given the nature of the cold relationship between the prince and the Moroccan royal palace some media outlets claimed that a request to expel Moulay Hicham had been made by Morocco.
However, a source from the Moroccan embassy in Tunisia told Jeune Afrique that the kingdom had never request the expulsion of the prince from any country, and that he has been giving lectures for years.
Prince Moulay Hicham, the same source further noted, still holds a Moroccan diplomatic passport and he enters and exits the kingdom, where he has property, as he pleases.
Following his deportation to France, the prince accused the Tunisian presidency of being responsible for his deportation, but he admitted to France24 Arabic he could not speculate on the country or countries that might have requested his expulsion.
While an adviser to the Tunisian president expressed regret over the incident, a few days ago local authorities opened an investigation was to determine the party that was responsible for the prince’s expulsion.
An accusing finger was pointed to the former local minister of interior, Hédi Mejdoub, who is said to still hold influence within the department.
Jeune Afrique concluded that the expulsion was most likely urged by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as the prince was due to give a lecture in Qatar on September 12.
Given the ongoing tension between the two Gulf nations and Doha, the lecture might have angered Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, especially that the prince himself is the cousin of Prince Walid Bin Talal.
