Algerian army units moved into the Ksar Ich area near Figuig on Wednesday, unilaterally demarcating the border. Local activists denounced the move as illegal and unprecedented. DR ‹ › On Wednesday, February 4, units of the Algerian army moved into the Ksar Ich area, which falls under the territorial jurisdiction of the Figuig region, and began unilaterally demarcating the border. Shortly afterward, elements of the Royal Armed Forces arrived in the area to closely monitor developments. In a statement to Yabiladi, Saddik Kabouri, a local activist from Bouarfa, explained that the status of this border area was not addressed in the Treaty of Lalla Maghnia, signed by Morocco and France in 1845. The treaty defined the border from the Ajroud Kasbah Fortress (present-day Saidia) to Teniet es Sassi, leaving the southern sections undefined on the grounds that they were considered uninhabited lands not requiring demarcation, including areas adjacent to the Figuig region. Algeria, he said, bases its unilateral actions on the 1972 agreement. The agreement signed between the two countries on June 15, 1972, stipulates in Article 2 the creation of a «joint Moroccan-Algerian committee tasked with directly placing the stone markers along the Algerian-Moroccan border». Article 6 further states that if the committee is established but fails to begin its work, the party wishing to expedite the process may proceed with placing the stone markers according to the border line described in Article 1 of this treaty, provided that the other party is notified». «Yesterday, the Algerian army intervened by placing stone markers to demarcate the border and removing a fence that local residents had installed to protect their orchards from wild boar attacks. At night, the Algerian army fired shots into the air as a form of celebration or victory», Kabouri said. This is not the first time For his part, Allal Idriss, a human rights activist and resident of Ksar Ich, stated that the Algerian army began yesterday «demarcating the border by placing stones and plastic bags, and by removing wires that had been installed to protect the orchards». He added that they also «demolished the shrine of a saint known as Sidi Brahim, in addition to vandalizing several graves». «It is unfortunate and disgraceful for the military to fire into the sky at night after the evening prayer, believing it to be a display of victory, when in reality it reflects political and moral failure», Allal Idriss said. He expressed deep regret, noting the paradox that «historical records and archives clearly show that eastern Moroccan regions, particularly Figuig and its border ksour, served as a strategic rear base for the Algerian liberation struggle. These lands hosted mujahideen and provided them with support». Yet, he added, «sixty-two years after the end of French colonial rule, the Algerian military did not return to these lands to thank their people for their sacrifices, but rather to annex parts of the Ich oases». No official statement has yet been issued by either Moroccan or Algerian authorities regarding these developments. This unilateral action is not unprecedented. In March 2021, the Algerian army forced Moroccan farmers to abandon their fields in the Arja oasis, adjacent to Figuig, claiming the land was Algerian territory.
