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Rabat – The Algerian navy opened fire and killed four migrants on Friday night. The casualties included a child and a 30-year-old Moroccan woman from Ahfir, a Moroccan border town, according to a statement from the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH).
The association condemned the “despicable crimes” that had targeted “simple migrants” on their Twitter account.
La marine algérienne tue par armes à feu la nuit du vendredi à samedi 4 migrants parmi eux un enfant et cette jeune marocaine au nom de Fouzia bakouch 30 ans originaire d’Ahfir.
Toute notre condamnation à ces crimes ignobles qui visent de simples migrants. pic.twitter.com/OdjZvD46LY— AMDH Nador (@NadorAmdh) October 23, 2022
This is not the first time Algeria has been involved in a case of mistreating undocumented migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
In July of this year, an investigation by Isreal-based news channel i24 News painted a bleak image of how Algerian authorities handle irregular migrants.
A group of sub-Saharan migrants told the channel that while making their way through Algeria to eventually cross to Europe, they experienced emotional and physical abuse at the hands of Algerian authorities, prompting many of them to flee to Morocco for refuge.
One migrant shared a tragic experience, describing how an Algerian soldier hit and broke his hands.
In addition to the physical and emotional abuse, the migrants said that they were blackmailed and extorted. A local guide asked them for €500 in exchange for not turning them in to the authorities.
Once detained by the Algerian army, the migrants were threatened that unless they make their way to Morocco, they would face physical harm, death, and rape.
Read Also: Sub-Saharan Migrants Recount Stories of Abuse in Algeria
