Two French-Moroccans were lost at sea by the Algerian coast guard

Two French-Moroccan citizens who went missing at sea were killed on Tuesday evening by the Algerian Coast Guard in an area on the border with Morocco.

Two French-Moroccan tourists were killed at the hands of the Algerian coast guard when they lost their way on water skis in an Algerian sea area on the border with Morocco, Moroccan media reported on Thursday, citing a witness to the tragedy.

according to Le360 information websiteBilal Kissi and Abdelali Meshouir were killed, on Tuesday evening, by Algerian Coast Guard gunfire in the Algerian maritime domain, after they were lost at sea on board their jet skis, near the Moroccan coastal city of Saidia (northeast of the country). This popular coastal summer resort is known for its long beach and water activities.

The Algerian Coast Guard arrested a third man, also a French-Moroccan, named Smile Sanabi, and he was presented on Wednesday before the Algerian Public Prosecution, according to the Le360 website, which relies on “identical sources.”

The four young men (three French-Moroccans and one Moroccan) were riding a jet ski. “We lost our way but continued until we found ourselves in Algeria. We knew we were in Algeria because a black Algerian tower came towards us, starting to zigzag as if they wanted to overthrow us,” Mohamed Kissi, Bilal’s older brother, told the Moroccan website Al-Amaq. He said the Moroccan Navy arrested him. It was returned to Marsa Saidia.

“They (the occupants of the tower) opened fire on us. Thank God I was not injured, but my brother and my friend were killed. They arrested my other friend,” he added.

In response to a question by the local press on Thursday, the Moroccan government spokesman, Mustafa Paytas, did not make any comment, only responding that the matter “falls within the jurisdiction of the judiciary.”

It was not possible to immediately obtain confirmation from the Algerian side. The French Embassy in Morocco, contacted by Agence France-Presse, declined to comment.

The tragedy is likely to revive strong regional frictions between Algeria and Morocco, which have been exacerbated by their animosity over the disputed Western Sahara region. However, there was no immediate public reaction from Rabat or Algiers.

Their borders have been closed since 1994, and Algeria severed its diplomatic relations with Morocco in August 2021, accusing Rabat of committing “hostile acts,” a decision that was “completely unjustified,” according to Rabat.

Israel’s recent recognition of “Moroccan sovereignty” over the disputed Western Sahara region has increased tensions with Algeria, which denounced “foreign maneuvers” at its gates.