Who Stands Behind Allegations Against Algeria About Mistreating African Migrants?

Criticism against Algeria spread largely because of false allegations of mistreating of African immigrants during their deportation from Mali and Niger to other African countries, including Guinea that is located on the western coast of the continent.

French Press Agency (AFP) spoke about injuries and deaths (…), as this information spread last week in the Malian capital Bamako, after the arrival of the first group of deportees, but this information was not confirmed by local official bodies.

Same source said that over 280 Guinean immigrants arrived, on Tuesday night, to the capital Conakry in “dire straits”, after more than two weeks of travelling overland, from Niger to Guinea through Mali and Burkina Faso.

This issue was exploited by malicious parties as described by the Foreign Ministry .. and the Moroccan King Mohammed VI rushed to the announcement of the submission of humanitarian assistance to migrants who were deported by Algeria to Niger, in an action that was understood as an effort to embarrass the Algerian authorities before the human rights organizations.

Algerian authorities did not let this incident pass without putting points on the letters, and the Foreign Ministry rushed to confirm that the migration process “took place in the framework of respect for human rights, in accordance with Algeria’s international obligations”.

Foreign Ministry sent a message to the Kingdom of Morocco on the back of its attempt to exploit the incident for insulting the country’s reputation: “Reality does not give a basis for the tendentious campaign by some circles that are known for their hostility to Algeria, which exploits the normal operation that took place in the framework of respect for the human rights for displaced persons, and in accordance with international obligations that are undertaken by Algeria “.

This case was not only an image of the controversies that characterize the Algerian-Moroccan relationships these days, and the most recently was the statement of the governor of peace and security in Africa, Ismail Cherki, who said from Oran that any country’s accession to the African Union can not be at the expense of others, and the reference is clear, which is addressed to Morocco, which is maneuvering to keep the Polisario away from the African Union.

This happens at a time when the western neighbor is living a state of terror, because of the remarkable rapprochement between Algeria and Mauritania, which culminated in the signing of the 14 agreements between the two countries on the occasion of the 18th session of the Algerian-Mauritanian Joint Higher Committee, as well as the opening of a border crossing between the two countries.

Parties that are close to the Moroccan Royal Palace distrusted the Algerian rapprochement with Mauritania, saying that it aims to isolate Morocco regionally, waiting for the decisive battle of next month in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where the headquarters of the African Union summit that will take action on the request of Morocco’s accession to the AU institutions or not, after about 33 years of its withdrawal from the Organization of African Unity.