The Moroccan ambassador to Abidjan released a photo of the undocumented migrants at an airport waiting for their flight to Morocco.
Rabat – The Moroccan embassy in Cote D’Ivoire released a statement to announce that it intervened after police in the country arrested 13 young undocumented Moroccan migrants who thought they had reached Europe.
The group of Moroccans, however, were surprised to find themselves still in Africa after authorities in Cote D’Ivoire arrested them on December 27 for entering the country without documentation.
The Moroccan embassy in Cote D’Ivoire said that the Moroccan nationals arrived on Thursday, December 26 on board a ship from Casablanca, thinking that the ship was heading for Europe.
The embassy added that Morocco’s ambassador to Abidjan, Abdelmalek Kettani, ordered consular affairs staff to “identify the people concerned” and to ensure their safety and provide support.
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The embassy said it has begun the necessary procedures to bring the young Moroccans home “as soon as possible.”
The embassy added that it intervened quickly to “improve the conditions of police custody of the young Moroccan nationals.”
The statement added that police moved the Moroccan nationals to the Police Prefecture of Abidjan, adding that embassy staff ensured that the migrants were offered food, drink, and clothing during the detention period.
The embassy also announced that the group of Moroccan nationals will leave Cote D’Ivoire on a Royal Air Maroc (RAM) flight. The would-be migrants will arrive in Casablanca 6:45 a.m. on December 31.
The Moroccan ambassador in Abidjan shared a photo of the young men on Facebook.
