On 18 December 1975, the first day of Eid al-Adha, the Algerian president Houari Boumediene ordered the expulsion of all Moroccan nationals from Algeria, resulting in the exodus of 45,000 Moroccan families,[1] or by some accounts 350,000 people in total.[2][3] Although, according to some modern sources, between 10,000 [4] to 30,000 were expelled and 5,000 Moroccans were granted Algerian nationality.[5][6] The expulsion was a response to the Madrid Accords (which did not include the consultation of Algeria nor the POLISARIO movement)[7] and the earlier Green March in the Western Sahara.[8][9]
In this image, Algeria is shown in Green, while Morocco is coloured Orange.
45,000 families were estimated to have been expelled; a large portion of them had lived in Algeria for decades or even centuries.[11][12][13] Most Moroccans had lived wealthy lifestyles and were in good conditions prior to the expulsion.[14] Many families were separated; Moroccans who had married Algerians were not deported but their family members usually were. Many Moroccans have not yet been reunited with their families.[14][15]
Commemoration
In 2019, the Moroccan military posted a video on Facebook depicting the testimonies of Moroccan refugees, calling for an apology from Algeria. The video was also a response to the Algerian Government's demands for Morocco to apologize for Algerians it left stranded after a 1994 terrorist attack in Asni, Marrakesh.[16]
^Weissman, Juliana (1977). Kingdom of Morocco. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Office of International Health, Division of Program Analysis. p. 125.
