According to a witness quoted by Moroccan media, on Tuesday August 29, two holidaymakers were killed by Algerian coast guards when they got lost on a jet ski in an Algerian maritime area on the border with Morocco. France confirmed that one of them was a Franco-Moroccan.
According to France 24, on Tuesday four men – three French-Moroccans and a Moroccan living in France – left the marina of Saïdia, a very popular summer seaside resort in the north-east of the country, best known for its long beach and activities his water activities with three jet skis. As night falls, they run out of gas. Two of them decide to swim back: the first, French-Moroccan, arrives on a Moroccan beach; the second, also French-Moroccan, arrives on an Algerian beach where he is arrested by the Algerians. The last two vacationers, a Franco-Moroccan and a Moroccan, who remained on the same jet ski disappear, their jet ski is later found.
Paris confirmed on Friday September 1 the death of a Frenchman and the detention of another national in Algeria. The latter was presented to an Algerian prosecutor on Wednesday, according to the Moroccan news site Le360.
Borders closed since 1994
This drama is likely to reignite strong regional tensions between Algeria and Morocco, exacerbated by their antagonism over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. However, neither Rabat nor Algiers immediately responded publicly.
Its borders have been closed since 1994 and Algeria cut diplomatic relations with Morocco in August 2021, accusing Rabat of “hostile acts,” a decision Rabat said was “totally unjustified.”
Israel’s recent recognition of “Moroccan sovereignty” over the disputed territory of Western Sahara has further heightened tensions with Algiers, which has denounced “foreign maneuvers” at its gates.
In response to a question from the local press on Thursday, Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Baïtas did not comment, only answering that it was “a matter that falls within the jurisdiction of the judiciary.”
Initially no confirmation could be obtained from the Algerian side.
With AFP