African immigrants found abandoned


Sunday 16 October 2005, 23:46 Makka Time, 20:46 GMT


Morocco has recently expelled at least 2000 African immigrants



Related:
Morocco sends back more migrants
Morocco repatriates 140 Senegalese



Tools:
  Email Article
  Print Article
  Send Your Feedback



The separatist Polisario Front in the Western Sahara has said it came across
92 African immigrants expelled from Morocco.


The 92 Africans, of nine nationalities, were found in small groups in a
region of the Western Sahara controlled by Polisario, not far from a
Moroccan military defence wall that divides the annexed territory in two,
said Mohamed Kheddad, Polisario coordinator for a UN force known as MINURSO.

Of the Africans, 48 are Gambian and 18 Cameroonian, Kheddad said on Sunday,
speaking in the town of Bir Lahlou in the Western Sahara, situated 220km
southwest of the Algerian town of Tindouf.

Several of the immigrants told AFP that dozens of others were still in the
territory's desert.

The Polisario Front, which seeks independence for the Western Sahara, is
continuing to search for more immigrants, Kheddad said.

Abandoned Africans

The movement said on Friday it had located hundreds of Africans abandoned in
the Western Sahara desert by Moroccan security forces driving them out of
the country.

"Algeria is gathering together candidates for clandestine immigration in the
region of Tindouf in order to make it a propaganda tool in the Sahara
conflict"

Driss Jettou,
Moroccan Prime Minister


Morocco has recently expelled at least 2000 African immigrants, sparking
concern from international human rights groups and aid organisations about
the conditions and speed of the operation.

Difficulties are compounded as Morocco has strained relations with Algiers
since the latter has backed the Polisario Front during more than a decade of
political stalemate following a truce in 1992, and hosts Polisario's
Saharawi government in exile.

Propaganda

Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jettou said on Sunday that Algeria was using
the situation as a "propaganda tool."

"Algeria is gathering together candidates for clandestine immigration in the
region of Tindouf in order to make it a propaganda tool in the Sahara
conflict," Jettou said at a news conference in Rabat.


Jettou said Morocco was fulfilling
its obligations dealing with illegals

The Moroccan prime minister said the kingdom was fulfilling its obligations
to deal with illegal immigrants on its territory.

Jettou said:  "It is out of the question that Morocco will let the enemies
of its territorial integrity take advantage of the misery and disarray of
human beings seeking to enter Europe in the hope of a better life there."



"It is out of the question also that Morocco would tolerate the kind of
actions that harm its highest interests, especially its territorial
integrity," he added.




In the week since it started repatriating illegal immigrants, Morocco has
airlifted at least 2000 West Africans to their countries of origin,
according to a count by AFP based on official figures.



Aljazeera + Agencies

_________________________________________________________________
MSN Messenger 7.5 is now out. Download it for FREE here.
http://messenger.msn.co.uk

いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい