Rabat – Amid outrage over the tragic death of Hayat, an anonymous source from Morocco’s military said that the undocumented migrants “were hidden under a tarp.”
The source told AFP that the go-fast boat, which was carrying migrants across the Mediterranean, “had adopted a hostile attitude” and was operating in “dangerous maneuvers that could have caused a collision that was narrowly avoided.” A woman, Hayat, 20, was killed when the navy fired at the boat.
The source added that two members of the royal navy opened fire “because the go-fast boats are used for drug trafficking.” The military source explained that the navy did not see the undocumented migrants in the boat.
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“It is a regrettable incident,” the anonymous source added.
On Sunday, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) quoted Morocco’s Minister of Human Rights Mustapha Ramid as he commented on the incident.
According to the minister, the members of the navy were “targeting a trafficker who challenged Morocco and its security forces.”
Ramid made his remarks during a television program called “Sawt Shabab” (youth voice) on Medi1 TV channel on Saturday.
He asserted that Hayat was not the target.
The official commented on human rights in Morocco, saying, “Things are not as bad as it is imagined.”
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“Human rights issues in the country are developing steadily and slowly; we are in the process of establishing a human rights state,” he said.
The Spanish captain of the boat was arrested. Morocco’s law enforcement also opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident.
The death of Hayat, from Tetouan, sparked public uproar.
On Saturday, hundreds of Moroccan citizens marched in Tetouan to denounce the navy’s action.
Most of the protesters, who were football fans of Moghreb Tetouan, were dressed in black to mourn Hayat’s death.
Videos of the protests went viral on social media.
Pictures showing property damage were also widely shared on Facebook.
However, some were more concerned about migration than property damage.
Recently, several videos of people trying to emigrate put the government under pressure.
The videos cause some officials to spoke about the situation.
While Minister of Youth and Sports Rachid Talbi Alami said last Friday that migration is not the problem, Government Spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi said that Morocco has “great employment opportunities.”
“It is not the migration of these young people to neighboring countries that is a problem, but the way they try to immigrate, which puts their lives in danger,” said Alami.
El Khalfi report noted that Moroccans account for 13 percent of undocumented migrants who attempted to reach Europe in 2018 (7,100 Moroccans).
