Moroccan Residents in Algeria Fear Expulsion Amid Diplomatic Tensions

"A friend called me to give me the news. Shocked, I hung up, did my ablutions and my prayer and asked God that the situation does not worsen, that I am not expelled and that I can find a solution to live with my wife," confides to Middle East Eye Aareb, an interior decorator craftsman, originally from the city of Fez in northeastern Morocco. This 37-year-old Moroccan says he settled in Mila, in eastern Algeria, at the age of 15. "In my homeland, I tell them that Morocco is my biological mother and Algeria, my adoptive mother. I made my life here, and except for my family, I hardly have anything left in Morocco," he says.

The breakdown of diplomatic relations between Rabat and Algiers seems to dash the hopes of the thirty-year-old: "I was hoping to find a solution and bring my wife. [...] I still have projects here and I intend to make my life in Algeria. I pray that they don’t expel us too quickly and that [the authorities] give me time to finish my projects, to pay off my debts." Like Aareb, Ismail Farih, a Moroccan YouTuber with more than 46,000 followers on YouTube and 2,000 on Instagram, shares the same feeling. "I deeply hoped that the situation would improve. I didn’t expect it at all. I have life projects here. I don’t have enough hindsight to know if this decision will influence these projects," he assures.

His dream is to settle in Algeria and start a family there. In the eyes of this 25-year-old from Fez, the political tensions between the two countries were just "passing clouds." Convinced of this, he had moreover tried to "bring the two brotherly peoples closer together" and "help them overcome prejudices" by converting his YouTube channel dedicated to music into a channel for discovering the cultures and customs of the two neighboring countries. "I noticed that Algerians were fond of all content related to tourism and adventure. So I decided to work on this type of content in order to bring the two peoples closer together. I have more than 150 videos on my channel today!" he recounts.

Mohamed, 21, a student in electrical and energy engineering in Oran, is also saddened by the current situation. "I was hoping that one day the land border would reopen. Needless to say, the announcement of the breakdown between Algiers and Rabat made me angry. I don’t understand it!" he confides. "Sometimes, when people learn that I am Moroccan, they treat me better than their fellow citizens. I am often invited by my colleagues and their families to dinner or to spend the night. I have never encountered any problems. I just regret these political differences that affect the most those of us who, like us, are stuck in the middle..."