Moroccan authorities have reportedly initiated an administrative process requiring families to complete repatriation forms for their relatives held in northeastern Syrian camps.
These include the infamous Al-Roj and Al-Hol camps, which are under Kurdish control and currently host around 8,000 people from 55 different countries—mostly families of former ISIS fighters.
Currently, at least 476 Moroccans remain stranded in Syria, including 103 women and 285 children. This long-neglected issue is resurfacing in the wake of a major diplomatic shift between Morocco and Syria following the ousting of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December.
This development offers long-awaited hope for women and children who have been trapped in these camps under dire humanitarian conditions. Families and human rights advocates have lamented Moroccan authorities for years of inaction with many calling for a phased repatriation process that prioritizes the most vulnerable.
While some activists urged for a security-focused, case-by-case assessment—citing concerns about extremist affiliations—others argued that women and children should be approached differently, recognizing that many were coerced or manipulated into joining ISIS or living in exile.
Signs of deepening Morocco-Syria normalization
The renewed ties between Morocco and Syria have been marked by significant diplomatic gestures, including the closure of the Polisario Front’s office in Damascus and King Mohammed VI’s decision to reopen Morocco’s embassy there after nearly 13 years.
The embassy’s reopening was officially announced in May, signaling a major foreign policy realignment. Mohammed VI conveyed the decision in a letter to Syria’s interim President, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, which was read by Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita during the 34th Arab League Summit in Baghdad.
The letter reaffirmed Morocco’s solidarity with Syria’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty, while expressing support for the Syrian people’s aspirations for freedom, security and stability.
This diplomatic thaw has brought renewed attention to unresolved humanitarian concerns—chief among them, the repatriation of Moroccan nationals held in Syrian camps and prisons.
According to a report by the Tetouan-based North Observatory of Human Rights, 38% of Moroccan jihadists who joined ISIS in 2015 were women.
The report also emphasized how ISIS often targeted Moroccan women with emotionally manipulative messages, aiming to recruit them alongside their husbands and children, seizing the strategic role women have played in persuading entire families to join the group.
