The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Freetown has dismissed as misleading and biased, a video circulating on social media, which claims the country’s security forces recently killed seven hundred African immigrants
Speaking to Global Times on condition of anonymity, a senior Embassy official said the video in question was first published in June 2022 following a tragic incident near Nador, noting the number of deaths at the time was far below the seven hundred figures alleged by detractors.
He added that the dissemination of the said video, which, according to him, “has been decontextualized,” to appear new is a malicious attempt to damage Morocco’s image.
Commenting on the 2022 tragic event itself, the Moroccan Embassy official explained that the attackers who were armed with sticks, machetes, stones and knives chose what he referred to as “unconventional point of assault” instead of the usual wire fence during which they injured over one hundred and forty law enforcement officials at the Barrio-Chino post.
Speaking further, the official noted that the extreme military style attack on the Moroccan law enforcement officials required a proportionate and professional response from the Moroccan security, not least to avoid a complete breakdown of law and order.
“In the face of such a tragedy, the situation should not be used for political exploitation or undermine the commitment and efforts made by Morocco to confront the migration pressure orchestrated by criminal mafias”, the Embassy official noted.
Concluding, the Embassy official said while his country will continue its relentless and tireless fight against trafficking networks, Morocco, he said “will also continue to call for active solidarity between the North and the South through structural solutions for sustainable development and encouragement of legal migration flows”
