The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the death of one of its citizens on Friday and the detention of another without specifying the circumstances of the death, according to France 24. The French foreign ministry did not release the names of those involved.
“The crisis and support center of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and our embassies in Morocco and Algeria are in close contact with the families of our fellow citizens, to whom we offer our full support,” said the ministry in a statement.
According to previous reports by Moroccan media, two French-Moroccans on holiday were targeted by the Algerian coastguard when they entered Algerian maritime space on jet skis on Tuesday evening. Spanish news agency EFE reported that the name of one of the deceased is Bilal Kissi and that he is originally from Montfermeil.
His funeral took place Thursday near Oujda, according to AFP. He and his brother Mohamed, their Moroccan cousin Abdelali Mechouar and their friend Smail Snabe, also said to be French-Moroccan, are also reported to have been involved.
The Algerian government is under fire for its lack of response to the incident. Mustapha Baïtas, Morocco’s government spokesperson, also faced criticism for his lack of preparation and non-answer to journalists’ questions about what the government was doing in response to the incident.
The Akhannouch government was criticized for ignoring international law in this case. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), every state must aid those in distress at sea.
Additionally, two conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) outline the details of this obligation: the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, which advocates for “sea rescue plans to coordinate the rescue of persons in distress among states,” and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, which calls on states to ensure that assistance is provided to anyone in distress at sea “regardless of their nationality or circumstances in which they are found.”
Oujda Public Prosecutor’s office ordered the opening of an investigation on August 29, based on the statements of a person claiming to have been the victim, along with four others, according to MAP. The office has also instructed the Royal Gendarmerie in the city to gather all the necessary information on the incident, and several members of the families and acquaintances of victims have been interviewed.