Tensions Escalate as Morocco Blocks Sub-Saharan Migrants at Mauritanian Border Amid COVID Restrictions

16 June 2020 – bySylvanus@Bladi · 1 min read

The Moroccan army has turned back 68 Sub-Saharans, including 32 Senegalese, at the border crossing between Morocco and Mauritania, thus causing tensions.

Dozens of Sub-Saharans, including Senegalese, are blocked at the border between Morocco and Mauritania due to its closure, a measure taken by the authorities to curb the spread of the coronavirus, reports Seneweb. Clashes broke out between the Moroccan border guards and these Sub-Saharans who want to reach Mauritania at all costs, the same source specifies.

Four women, including a pregnant woman, are among the 32 Senegalese blocked on the spot due to the refusal of the Moroccan authorities to allow them to join Mauritania. They are 68 of these Sub-Saharans who express "their intention to force the passage at the risk of their lives".

Informed of the situation, the NGO Horizon sans frontières has warned the Senegalese authorities against the risk of "possible abuse", the same source said.