Group Urges Algeria to Acknowledge 1975 Expulsion of Moroccan Families

In a statement signed by its president, Mohammed Cherfaoui, the Collective recalls that some 45,000 Moroccan families were expelled from Algeria in December 1975, in the midst of the celebration of Eid al-Adha. These Moroccans found themselves homeless overnight, deprived of all their belongings. Some were able to benefit from the solidarity of their relatives, others found refuge under the tents set up by the Moroccan authorities after the Algerian decision.

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The Collective calls on the Algerian authorities to "pay tribute to these thousands of people who were stripped, beyond their material goods, of their human dignity," recalling that these Moroccans gave "a lot of love" to Algeria, "a country towards which they have shown solidarity during the struggle for independence." "Sustained tribute must be paid to these associations that have fought hard with limited financial and human resources," adds CiMEA-75, which calls for a pooling of efforts by all associations for this cause.

Created on February 28, the Collective also wants the facts to be objectively and fully reconstructed in order to preserve the memory of the direct and indirect victims. It also wishes that the moral and material damage suffered by the latter be taken into great account in order to allow their families and relatives in Morocco and Algeria to reunite.