Moroccans Protest Over Tourists Killed in Algerian Waters

Facts

• On Monday, dozens of Moroccans rallied outside the parliament in Rabat to urge the government to challenge the Algerian state after its coast guard killed two tourists who allegedly crossed the maritime border between the two Mediterranean countries.¹
• Organizations present at the protest, including the Moroccan Association for Citizenship and Human Rights, are reportedly mulling over filing a lawsuit in international courts against the leaders of the Algerian Army.²
• Separately, Morocco's National Council for Human Rights strongly condemned the Algerian coast guard for using live ammunition against unarmed civilians — deeming the incident a serious violation of human rights laws and international standards.³
• This comes as Algeria's defense ministry officially stated Sunday that a group of four holiday-goers was shot at on Tuesday after refusing to comply with several stop orders. The ministry cited intense activity by drug smuggling and organized crime at its borders as the reason for firing warning shots.⁴
• Meanwhile, the French prosecutor's office has opened a probe into the incident that killed the two French-Morrocan tourists — Bilal Kissi and Abdelail Mechouar — after lawyers for their families filed a complaint in Paris for intentional murder charges on Sunday.⁵
• Relations between Algeria and Morocco have been strained since both gained independence from colonial France, with their shared borders closed since 1994 and diplomatic ties severed in 2021.⁶

Sources: ¹Africanews, ²Associated Press, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴BBC News, ⁵Atalayar and ⁶FOX News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Moroccoworldnews. It's not only outrageous but criminal that Algerian coastguard officers have shot tourists who were trying to return to Morocco's Saidia resort after their jet skis mistakenly drifted to Algerian waters due to bad weather. International law recognizes the fundamental right of people in distress to receive help and bans the use of live-fire ammunition against unarmed civilians.
• Narrative B, as provided by Archive. After previously intercepting three jet skis that conducted smuggling operations across Algerian territorial waters — in a border region that has experienced increased activity of drug trafficking gangs and organized crime — Algeria's coast guard issued an audible warning to the group several times but the passengers refused to comply and fled with dangerous maneuvers. While these deaths are undoubtedly tragic, authorities were left with no options.

Predictions