Morocco: Forced Police Raids Leave Hundreds Abandoned

Between 19 August and 10 September, police ransacked cities throughout Morocco...

Migrants and asylum-seekers in Morocco often end up outside in camps with little prospect of continuing to Europe, returning to their home countries, or becoming part of Moroccan society. Courtesy: Morocco 2009 © Anna Surinyach/MSF

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is deeply concerned about the deterioration of the medical and humanitarian situation facing many displaced inside Morocco. Recent raids and mass expulsions by Moroccan police forces have left hundreds of families, women and children, abandoned on the border between Morocco and Algeria; deported into no man’s land during the night without food and water.

“Our team has witnessed the direct impact of these mass raids and expulsions on the medical and mental health condition of the migrants,” said Jorge Martin, MSF’s head of mission in Morocco. “We provided medical support to a woman who had given birth to her child just six days before. She was arrested by the police forces and spent five days in a police cell with her newborn child. Then she was taken back to the border. She has managed to come back to Oujda, but is now suffering from acute gastrointestinal syndrome.”

Between 19 August and 10 September, police ransacked cities throughout Morocco, including Oujda, Al-Hoceima, Nador, Tangiers, Rabat, Casablanca, and Fez. Using bulldozers and helicopters, police forces raided and destroyed family tents and houses.

An estimated 600 to 700 migrant’s were arrested, taken to the border and left without food or water. Among the displaced, pregnant women, children, and people suffering from medical tribulations, some as a direct as a result of the violence they endured.

Abandoned in the middle of the night, they were at risk of being attacked and robbed by bandits and smugglers who operate in the area. Those who managed to return to the cities are left completely destitute, without money, shelter, or personal belongings.

In the last several weeks, MSF teams have seen an alarming increase in patients related to the inhumane raids. Of the 186 patients who have received medical care from MSF, 103 had lesions and injuries directly or indirectly linked to the violence during the arrests.

Their now harsh living conditions and the lack of proper shelter are contributing to an increase in medical problems. Almost half of those displaced are seeking medical care due to symptoms linked to the difficult and unsanitary living conditions; 18 percent were suffering from skin infections, 10 percent from respiratory infections, and 11 percent from digestive problems.

“This intensification of restrictive measures to control migration in Morocco has a direct impact on the health and dignity of migrants and refugees,” said Martin. “Mass raids and expulsions to the border increase their vulnerability and put them at greater risk. MSF calls on the Moroccan authorities to adhere to their obligations under national and international law when implementing measures to control migration. The authorities must respect the dignity and integrity of migrants and avoid exposing them to a situation of greater vulnerability and insecurity. As stipulated in Moroccan law, pregnant women, children, and other vulnerable groups of migrants must not be expelled to the border.”

Sources: Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières