The association of “victims of the arbitrary expulsion from Algeria” of 1975 has looked at the archives and testimonies of the Moroccan families concerned, with the aim of bringing international justice for redress. In time, nearly 45,000 families settled in the neighboring country were expelled, a month and a half after the Green March of November 6 of the same year. This resulted in the departure of Spain from the Sahara.
Founded in 2005, the association of victims of the expulsion has been lobbying for the compensation of families for years, but actions in Algerian courts have never been successful. RFI reports that “in the context of the current tension between Morocco and Algeria, Hamid al Ati-Allah, president of this association, fears that Moroccans residing in Algeria will in turn be deported”.
The organization fears that history will repeat itself, since on December 18, 1975, at the dawn of Eid al-Adha, Algerian President Houari Boumediene forced Moroccan families to leave Algeria by abandoning all their goods. The operation has been called the “Black March”.
