The authorities succeeded on Thursday morning in arresting more than 80 migrants in the forest of Gourougou in the province of Nador.

The detained migrants, of different nationalities, originating from sub-Saharan countries, are sheltering in the mentioned forest while waiting to escape to the northern shore.

Human rights sources have indicated that the sweep operation carried out by the authorities resulted in the fracture of 5 migrants.

In the same context, the Moroccan authorities should deport the arrested migrants to the southern cities.

The intervention of the authorities to prevent the gathering of migrants in the forest of “Gourougou” is part of the proactive plans they are putting in place to avoid any possible storming of the occupied city of Melilla, as happened on 24 June, an incident that cost the lives of 23 migrants and injured dozens of members of the public forces of various gravity.

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At the end of last week, members of the state judicial police authority in Tangier managed to arrest a 29-year-old French citizen of Algerian origin, who is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued against him by the French judicial authorities.

The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) stated, in a statement, that “the person concerned had been arrested in the ‘Ghandouri’ area in Tangier, after finding, through his pointing in the database of the International Criminal Police Organization “Interpol”, that he was wanted at the international level according to a red notice issued on request of French judicial authorities, on suspicion of him being involved in the activities of a criminal gang that carried out a robbery with the use of firearms, targeting two trucks transporting money in Switzerland in mid-2019.”

The statement indicated that “the suspect was placed under pre-trial custody pending the extradition procedure, in parallel with notifying French authorities of this arrest, in order to send the extradition file.”

The arrest of the aforementioned French citizen, according to the same source, comes within the context of the efforts made by the DGSN to strengthen the mechanisms of international security cooperation to combat transnational crime, and to prosecute the persons sought on the international level.

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4 people were killed in the events that erupted in connection with the arrest of Ousmane Sonko, leader of the opposition party Patriots of Senegal for Ethics, Work and Fraternity (PASTEF).

This came in statements made, Friday, by the Senegalese Interior Minister, Antoine Felix Diome, regarding the protests taking place in almost all parts of the country, especially the capital Dakar, to demand the release of Sonko.

Diome stated that 4 people lost their lives in the events that erupted after the arrest of Sonko, last Wednesday, March 3rd, expressing his condolences to the families of the victims.

The minister also pointed out that during the violent acts which continued throughout Friday, all over Senegal, public buildings and workplaces were attacked, in addition to a number of acts of theft, indicating that the government strongly condemned these events.

Diome described these events as “terrorist”, accusing the detained opposition figure Sonko of calling people for violence, and stressing that he will mobilize all the country’s capabilities to restore public order.

Activists on various social media platforms have shared photos and videos of the protests in different parts of the country, directing a torrent of criticism to the government.

The opposition Sonko, who lifted his parliamentary immunity last week in the parliament session, in preparation for his trial, was accompanied, last Wednesday, by a number of his supporters to testify in the court of Dakar.

However, the police blocked the motorcade before reaching the court, arguing that there were too many, and stated that only 4-5 cars would be allowed to pass and drive to the side of the court.

Sonko waited three hours in the same place and was not allowed to go to court, only to be arrested later on the pretext that he was “disturbing the peace of society.” After the detention order, many of Dakar’s main roads were closed due to traffic and other violent incidents which occurred between police and Sonko supporters.

Osman Sonko faces two charges (rape and death threat); his parliamentary immunity was waived last Friday in preparation for his trial.

Sonko was surrounded by controversy due to media reports stating that he was charged with assaulting a salon employee, but the political leader denied all allegations and said it was a political conspiracy set by the president.

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