Morocco links migrant bodies in Ceuta to repatriation of minors

Morocco will not accept the bodies of its nationals who died during the recent migrant crisis in Ceuta unless Spain provides forensic reports and repatriates Moroccan minors from the Spanish city, Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi declared.

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We cannot receive the bodies without knowing who these people are, that first. Secondly, we have asked them to return the living, and now they talk about the dead. We do not separate between the living and the dead.

"We cannot receive the bodies without knowing who these people are," Ouahbi stated in an interview with Saudi channel Al Arabiya. He added that Morocco has requested the return of the living and will not separate them from the deceased. The minister stressed that Morocco lacks information on the number of Moroccan bodies in Ceuta because Spanish authorities have not supplied forensic reports. "We want their files to determine if they are Moroccan, from sub-Saharan Africa, or from other Arab countries," he specified.

Ouahbi rejected the idea of Morocco creating a mechanism to collect DNA samples, reiterating that Spain must provide medical files and photos of the deceased. "They (Spain) must prove they are Moroccan," he asserted. Morocco "will not allow the entry of any corpse without finding a global solution through an agreed procedure and framework. Everything must be done in the context of an agreement between us and the Spanish," he affirmed.

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We want their files to determine if they are Moroccan, from sub-Saharan Africa, or from other Arab countries.

While acknowledging that no pact has been reached between the two governments, Ouahbi expressed confidence in an understanding being reached soon. He also explained that Moroccan security forces did not confront migrants during the crisis to prevent casualties, describing the management as "intelligent" and noting that the Moroccan constitution guarantees freedom of movement.

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They (Spain) must prove they are Moroccan.

Authorities in Ceuta are preparing to bury over 80 migrant bodies that remain in the city's morgue. Eighteen have already been interred as part of an extraordinary measure to handle the accumulation of bodies following the late July influx.

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Morocco will not allow the entry of any corpse without finding a global solution through an agreed procedure and framework. Everything must be done in the context of an agreement between us and the Spanish.