Youssef Lkibibi: Quadriplegic Moroccan Faces Expulsion from France

Youssef Lkibibi has been hospitalized at Nice University Hospital since last July. Originally from a mountain village near Tétouan, the young man had left Morocco in the hope of finding a better life in Europe. During a stopover in Nice, an accidental dive caused severe spinal cord trauma, leaving him seriously disabled. After several operations and a long coma, he is now unable to move his limbs, reports Nice Matin.

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On January 15, while he was still in his hospital bed, two police officers accompanied by an interpreter notified him of an Obligation to leave French territory (OQTF). His lawyer, Me Sefen Guez Guez, expressed outrage at the procedure, questioning the validity of a document signed by a quadriplegic patient and deploring the fact that the prefecture had “failed entirely to take the young man’s state of health into account” in its decision.

The case highlights the impossibility of returning to Morocco under these conditions. Youssef’s family lives in a home that is completely unsuitable for wheelchairs, while specialized rehabilitation centers in Rabat are financially inaccessible to his relatives. In response to what his lawyer describes as a “clearly inhumane” case, an appeal was filed before the administrative court, along with an application for a residence permit for a sick foreign national.

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While the legal proceedings continue, a solidarity network has been organized in Nice. Visitors and healthcare workers are supporting the young man, who continues to thank the medical team for saving his life. An online fundraiser has also been launched to help him cope with his situation, while the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture has declined to comment on the case.