Moroccans expelled from Algeria in 1975: the fight for recognition

The international gathering in support of families of Moroccan origin expelled from Algeria commemorated yesterday, Sunday, the painful anniversary of the expulsion of Moroccans from Algeria in 1975. A brutal decision taken by the Algerian authorities which continues to haunt memories almost half a century later.

On the morning of Eid al-Adha 1975, while the Muslim world was celebrating the festival of sacrifice, nearly 45,000 Moroccan families were unceremoniously expelled from Algeria. Moroccan citizens, sometimes legally settled for generations, found themselves on the streets overnight, forced to hastily leave the country that had become theirs. Among them, mixed families, veterans of the Algerian war of independence, all thrown onto the roads in difficult conditions.