Moroccan Security Forces Block Protest March in Figuig Border Dispute

The inhabitants of Figuig declared Thursday, March 18 a "day of mourning and general strike" in solidarity with Moroccan farmers and private owners summoned by the Algerian army to leave the agricultural fields of date palm plantations located in the locality of El Arja, province of Figuig, located near the border between Morocco and Algeria. This decision is justified by a Moroccan-Algerian convention on the border demarcation between the two countries signed in 1972.

They thus organized a peaceful solidarity march during the day on Thursday. The mobilization was at its peak. The march started from the center of Figuig. As the inhabitants of Figuig approached the lands of El Arja, a large Algerian police deployment prevented the procession from progressing. The inhabitants’ coordination had to call on the participants to turn back towards the city.

This crisis between Rabat and Algiers has elicited a reaction from the executive committee of the Istiqlal party. "The Committee strongly condemns the acts of provocation carried out by the Algerian authorities on the border with Morocco near the province of Figuig, following the publication of a decision aimed at preventing Moroccan farmers from accessing the agricultural lands they operate, from March 18," the PI said.

For its part, the Moroccan Lawyers’ Club has taken up the cause of the farmers of El Arja, displaced from their lands on the orders of the Algerian army. According to him, communication channels have been opened with the people concerned, in order to collect all the data and documents to study the legal options available, in order to claim compensation and bring the matter before the international community, through the African justice system and the International Court of Justice.

In a statement, the club explained that "the declaration of residents regarding the exploitation of these lands for more than 30 years makes them property owners," in accordance with the requirements of the law. To support its argument, it recalls that Article 827 of the Algerian Civil Code provides that "whoever exercises possession of a thing, movable or immovable, or of a movable or immovable real right without being the owner or the holder, becomes the owner if his possession continues uninterrupted for fifteen years".