A Moroccan association representing victims of the 1975 mass expulsions from Algeria has called on the government to include the issue in any future negotiations or rapprochement efforts between Morocco and Algeria.
The Association for the Defense of Moroccans Victims of Forced Displacement from Algeria said it had sent a letter to Nasser Bourita, Morocco’s minister of foreign affairs, urging that the humanitarian file be treated as a priority in any future dialogue between the two neighboring countries.
According to the association, thousands of Moroccan citizens living legally in Algeria were subjected to forced collective expulsions in 1975, accompanied by what it described as serious human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, mistreatment, discrimination based on nationality, confiscation of property and civil rights, enforced disappearances and family separations.
The organization said it was closely following diplomatic initiatives aimed at promoting reconciliation and regional stability in North Africa, stressing that any future agreement or understanding between Morocco and Algeria should address the humanitarian consequences of the expulsions in line with international human rights principles and mechanisms for justice and reparations.
The association linked its appeal to ongoing regional diplomatic efforts and the international momentum surrounding implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2797 related to the Western Sahara issue and the political process under U.N. auspices.
It called on Morocco’s Foreign Ministry to raise the matter during diplomatic efforts intended to strengthen regional peace and confidence-building between the two countries, while ensuring victims’ rights to compensation, restitution of property and restoration of social and civil rights.
The group also urged Moroccan authorities to support international advocacy efforts through U.N. human rights mechanisms and forums, particularly within the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Mohamed Alati Allah, president of the association, said the humanitarian tragedy continues to affect victims and their families nearly five decades later.
“The suffering has not been forgotten,” he said, adding that the association’s demands focus primarily on the recovery of confiscated property, frozen pensions and other rights lost since the expulsions.
Alati Allah said the association has campaigned internationally since 2005 to raise awareness about the issue and noted that a U.N. committee on migrant workers’ rights had previously recommended that Algeria restore rights to Moroccan victims and facilitate family reunification.
He also said efforts had been made to bring the matter before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, although no case was filed because such proceedings would require action by the Moroccan state.
The association additionally raised concerns about individuals who allegedly disappeared during the expulsions, saying the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances had previously contacted Algerian authorities on the matter without receiving official responses.
