Morocco Faces Challenge as Over 1,100 IS-Linked Nationals Await Repatriation from Syria

Cherkaoui affirmed that the return of these people who have joined the Islamic State (IS) or other jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq constitutes "a major security challenge" for the kingdom and the region, reports EFE. According to BCIJ figures, a total of 1,654 Moroccans, including 288 women, have left the kingdom to fight in Syria and Iraq with jihadist groups and the Islamic State.

In total, 745 fighters have died in these areas, and 270 have returned to the country. A hundred women who have had children in these conflict zones have also joined the kingdom. However, 189 women and 309 children remain detained in camps in Syria. These people, upon their return to Morocco, benefit from an accompanying program to facilitate their social reintegration, Cherkaoui reassures.

In March 2019, Morocco, in coordination with the United States, its strategic partner in the fight against terrorism, repatriated eight of its nationals from the "caliphate" territory. Since then, no other repatriation has taken place. In February, the Moroccan NGO the Observatory of the North for Human Rights (ONDH) urged the Moroccan government to repatriate the women and children detained in these camps, while denouncing the "harsh and inhumane" conditions in which they live.

The head of the BCIJ also addressed the fight against drug trafficking, recalling that it must remain constant. Welcoming the vote on the legal use of cannabis, he recalled that 59.9 tons of hashish and 5.3 tons of cocaine have been seized in the last six years.