Since December 24, 2011, emigrants from sub-Saharan Africa have been subjected to forceful interventions by law enforcement in Oujda, within the very sites they have taken as refuges, such as the Sidi Maâfa forest.

According to testimonies collected by the local section of the AMDH, these interventions have been regular during the last few days. The emigrants, according to the same source, have allegedly suffered physical abuse, and those among them who were captured were returned to the borders.

Furthermore, the makeshift camps where the refugees were sheltering from the winter cold were deliberately destroyed, as well as their dilapidated blankets and the few utensils they had. Their telephones and the food supplies they possessed (rice, flour, bread, etc.) suffered the same fate.

This situation has created a deep state of fear and anxiety among this population, and especially among mothers accompanied by their children.