Morocco Deports Algerian Activist Rachid Nekkaz Over “Provocative” Statements on Sovereignty
Rachid Nekkaz, a former Algerian presidential candidate, was expelled from Morocco after controversial remarks about the Green March and Western Sahara.
Watan-Local media sources reported that the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Marrakech court issued a decision to deport Rachid Nekkaz, the Algerian businessman and activist, after he posted a video on social media containing statements deemed “provocative regarding Moroccan sovereignty.”
Nekkaz, a former candidate in the Algerian presidential elections, was interrogated and placed under surveillance at his hotel in Marrakech on Monday, after making controversial remarks in front of the historic Koutoubia Mosque. In his statements, he claimed that the mosque was built by Algeria, accused Moroccans who participated in the “Green March” of 1975 of being “occupiers,” and described Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara as an “illegal occupation.”
The news website Menara reported that Moroccan authorities were initially hesitant to highlight the issue but eventually decided to implement a swift deportation process, fearing negative reactions from local residents to
“these provocations.”
Morocco Deports Rachid Nekkaz to France
The source indicated that Rachid Nekkaz was expected to have left Morocco on Tuesday morning, boarding the first available flight to France.
The Moroccan website commented that with this deportation, Nekkaz’s short but turbulent stay in Morocco had come to an end. He had previously pledged to the Public Prosecutor’s Office not to film or make any statements before voluntarily leaving the country.
It is worth noting that Rachid Nekkaz had previously run in Algeria’s presidential elections against the late President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the current President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Nekkaz began his career in France in the real estate business, quickly amassing wealth. He transitioned into politics in 2005 during protests in French suburbs. In Algeria, his political presence emerged during the 2014 presidential elections when he controversially attempted to run as an independent candidate despite not meeting the necessary requirements.
Nekkaz was imprisoned during President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s tenure before receiving a presidential pardon and leaving for France, where he later turned himself in to French authorities to serve a prison sentence related to a tax evasion case for which he had been convicted in absentia.
