Six Moroccan nationals, acquitted of terrorism charges yet languishing in a Bosaso prison in Somalia, have embarked on a hunger strike to protest their prolonged detention and delayed repatriation. Despite a court ruling for their release over two years ago, their families plead for urgent action from Moroccan authorities to secure their return. DR ‹ › Six Moroccans detained in Bosaso prison, in the Puntland region of northeastern Somalia, have been on an open-ended hunger strike for nearly two weeks, protesting their continued detention despite a court ruling acquitting them and the ongoing delay in their repatriation to Morocco. The men were acquitted on appeal about two and a half years ago of terrorism-related charges, after initially receiving death sentences from a military court in Puntland. The court also ordered their deportation to Morocco, but authorities have yet to implement the ruling. They remain in detention under conditions their families describe as «harsh and inhumane». According to statements from the detainees' families to Yabiladi, the prisoners live in conditions that fall short of the most basic standards of dignity. «During Ramadan, they were only allowed one meal a day, often just rice», they said. The families added that the head of the protection office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kenya visited the detainees last January. She told them that all the required documents and procedures for their deportation had already been forwarded to the Moroccan authorities, and that only a few formalities remained, particularly the issuance of travel documents and plane tickets by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and consular services. Relatives insist that the detainees did not travel to Somalia to join any extremist group. Instead, they say intermediaries misled them with promises of jobs and investment opportunities in a «promising» area. Once there, they found themselves in a region where elements linked to ISIS operate. After realizing the situation, they attempted to escape and surrender to local authorities, but authorities arrested them and brought serious charges before ultimately clearing them. Heartfelt testimonies from families In a statement to Yabiladi, the wife of Khalid Ladraa, 29, from Fez, who worked in electricity, described what she called a «nightmare» that began in August 2023. «He told me he was going to Casablanca to look for a job, then I lost contact with him. Two months later, he called me in tears, saying he had tried to migrate via Turkey and was lured to Somalia.» «He tried to escape before surrendering to the authorities, but they imprisoned him. He sometimes calls me secretly for a minute or two. The last time was last Wednesday. He told me they had gone on a hunger strike, had been separated, placed in solitary confinement, and were being insulted», she added. The wife of Mohamed Bousaadi, a tailor and father of four, also from Fez, said financial hardship pushed her husband to consider irregular migration before he fell victim to a similar trap. «He disappeared for months until a Somali lawyer called me and told me he was detained on terrorism charges. It was a huge shock. Later, they proved his innocence, but he remains there under difficult conditions», she said. According to both women, «several countries have already repatriated their citizens detained in the same case, except Morocco, and we do not understand the reasons for this delay». The families say they have contacted multiple authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without receiving any official response. They are calling for urgent intervention to end the detainees' suffering and secure their return, especially since the legal process has concluded and their innocence has been established. They also warn that the ongoing hunger strike could seriously worsen the detainees' health, given the lack of adequate medical care in the prison and the harsh climatic conditions in the region.
