Moroccan Merchants Stranded at French Port Amid Border Closure

They have been stuck for more than seventeen days in their vans in the port of Sète. Most of them are merchants who went to pick up goods in Spain to resell them in their country. But when they arrived in France, they were informed that no ferry was running between France and Morocco due to the border closure. Despite their ticket purchased for around 600 euros, they still cannot return home and are living in extremely precarious and difficult conditions, reports France bleu.

Neither the shipping company nor the port authorities have offered them any support measures, leaving them to fend for themselves for food, sleep, and hygiene. Deprived of everything, they are protesting against the treatment they are receiving. With their vans, they are parked in a small street in the port, by the water, along the Mas Coulet parking lot. They are crossing their fingers that maritime traffic will resume, so they can wake up from the nightmare that their life has become since January 31. But they have to find another place to park, as the municipal police have already asked them to leave the premises, even though they have nowhere else to go.

"I don’t have a penny left, I had money for a 3-day business trip, not a 3-week one," testifies Saïd, 54 years old. He sleeps every night curled up on the front seat of his truck filled with goods. "This is not France! We are treated like animals," exclaims Sofiane, exasperated by these living conditions. They receive blankets and food from Cathy Ciancilla, president of the association for the homeless "Les amoureux de la vie". She calls on the French authorities to take care of these men who are sleeping on the street against their will. "They must have access to basic necessities while waiting to return home."

For her part, Jeanine Léger, a member of the Cimade (association for the defense of migrants’ rights), is trying to mobilize the authorities in order to allow these Moroccan nationals to return home. "The prefecture of Hérault must get in touch with the Moroccan consulate in order to find repatriation solutions." But she confides that neither the town hall, nor the management of the port of Sète or the prefecture of Hérault, let alone the Moroccan consulate, have responded to her request.