Rabat – An international expert raised on Tuesday at the Migrant Workers Committee in Geneva the tragedy of thousands of Moroccan nationals who were illegally expelled from Algeria in 1975.
Speaking during the meeting, Fatima Diallo asked about the historical incident when thousands of Moroccans were expelled from Algeria after years of residing in the country, and questioned the committee about the measure they had taken to protect the rights of the Moroccan nationals.
In 1975, thousands of Moroccan workers were unlawfully displaced from Algeria, while the country’s government forcibly seized their properties.
At the Geneva meeting on Tuesday, Diallo questioned the committee on the measures it has taken to help the workers claim their rightful compensation for the property loss and the suffering they were subjected to.
The questions came on the sidelines of the committee’s examination of Morocco’s second periodic report on the implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.
Reacting to Diallo’s intervention, the Director of Public Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans residing abroad, Ismail Chakouri, recalled that Algeria conducted an arbitrary expulsion of 45,000 families in the midst of the religious celebration of Eid al-Adha.
The Moroccan official asked the committee to review the historical incident and serve justice to the Moroccan migrant workers. He also recalled Algeria’s unilateral decision to sever diplomatic relations with Morocco.
On December 8, 1975, the Algerian government expelled over 45,000 Moroccan citizens who had been legally residing in Algeria for decades.
The tragedy happened in the aftermath of the Green March, a memorable event in Morocco’s history when 350,000 unarmed Moroccans marched into Western Sahara on November 6, 1975 to protest Spanish occupation of the southern Moroccan region.
Despite numerous calls from international entities, Algeria has to date refused to take responsibility for the tragic incident.
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