Two French-Moroccan holidaymakers were killed by Algerian coast guards when they got lost on jet skis in an Algerian maritime area bordering Morocco, Moroccan media reported on Thursday, citing a witness to the tragedy.
According to the information site Le360, Bilal Kissi and Abdelali Mechouer were killed on Tuesday evening by gunfire from the Algerian Coast Guard in the Algerian maritime area after they were lost at sea aboard their jet skis near the Moroccan coastal town of Saïdia (in the northeast of the country).
This popular summer seaside resort is known for its long beach and water activities.
A third man, also French-Moroccan, Smaïl Snabé, was arrested by the Algerian Coast Guard and brought before an Algerian prosecutor on Wednesday, reports Le360, citing “consistent sources”.
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 “totally unjustified” decision, Rabat said.
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.
The four young people – three French-Moroccans and one Moroccan – were each sitting on a jet ski.
“We got lost, but we kept going until we found ourselves in Algeria. “We knew we were in Algeria because a black Algerian zodiac came towards us, it started moving in zigzags as if they wanted to overthrow us,” Mohamed Kissi, Bilal’s older brother, told the Moroccan website Al Omk.
He said he was picked up by the Moroccan navy and taken back to the Saidia marina.
“They (the inhabitants of the zodiac) shot at us. Thank god I didn’t get hit but my brother and friend killed them. They arrested my other friend,” he added.
“We got lost and ran out of gas,” he said.
In response to a question from the local press on Thursday, Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Baïtas did not comment, limiting himself to answering that it was “a matter that falls within the jurisdiction of the judiciary.”
Initially no confirmation could be obtained from the Algerian side.
The French embassy in Morocco declined to comment when contacted by the AFP news agency.