Last summer, the Mediterranean was the scene of a human tragedy: Abdellatif Akhrif, left winger of Ittihad Riadhi of Tangier (IRT), disappeared on July 6, 2024 during a yacht trip departing from the seaside resort of M’diq, in northern Morocco. The player, accompanied by four relatives, including two teammates, were surprised by a sudden storm in the Mediterranean. This relaxing outing turned into a nightmare, leaving Morocco in shock.
Many days later, on the 8th of August, his body was found almost 400 km to the east, near Oran, Algeria. A symbolic distance which would become a political instrument in the hands of the failing Algerian regime. It was only four months after this discovery that the remains of Abdellatif Akhrif, which had until then rested in an Algerian morgue, were returned and buried this Friday, December 13 in the evening in Tangier.
While three people were rescued thanks to the rapid intervention of the Moroccan Navy, the fate of Abdellatif Akhrif and his teammate Salman Harraq took a much more tragic turn. Salman Harraq remains untraceable to this day. As for Abdellatif Akhrif, his lifeless body was discovered a month later off Cape Falcon, Algeria. A video, captured by a jet-skier, shows the young footballer floating on the surface, shirtless and in shorts, a poignant image which made the rounds on social networks, reinforcing the indignation around this tragedy.
The cynicism of the Algerian regime
Under any other circumstances, such an event would have called for compassion and cooperation. But, Algiers, in an approach that borders on the grotesque, chose to slow down the repatriation of the body, using this drama to fuel hostile rhetoric towards Rabat. This situation illustrates a well-known tendency of the Algerian totalitarian power, namely to exploit human tragedies for political ends.
All you have to do is take a look in the retro. History demonstrates the deaths caused by military fire to civilian citizens of all nationalities, even to one’s own compatriots. By keeping the remains of Abdellatif Akhrif hostage for four months, Algiers engaged in insidious exploitation, betraying both humanity and international standards.
The senile regime of Algiers, led by an aging oligarchy disconnected from human realities, has repeatedly shown that it prefers to stir up regional tensions rather than build bridges. The tragic death of a young Moroccan sportsman (24 years old), instead of being treated with the decency it deserves, has become a new weapon in Algiers’ toxic diplomatic arsenal.
This Algerian attitude did not leave Morocco indifferent. The question of Abdellatif Akhrif continues to arouse discussions and emotions within Moroccan society. Recently, the “Brigade Oujda”, a group of ultras from the city’s football club Mouloudia Club d’Oujda (MCO), organized a symbolic demonstration at the Zouj Bghal border post, between Morocco and Algeria. The demonstrators held up a banner that read: “From Oujda to Sétif, we demand justice for Akhrif”.
In a press release, the organizers denounced the “inhuman injustice” of the Algiers authorities, citing undignified treatment which violates the fundamental rights of Akhrif’s family. They recalled that “the unjustified delay in the handing over of the remains is an odious act contrary to human values and fundamental rights”.
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The text added that this behavior “demonstrates a lack of respect for human dignity and the right of the family to bury their loved one in peace”emphasizing that “humanity must prevail over political differences”.
This blockage, which is also cruel and absurd, calls into question international observers and institutions. How can a regime use the death of an innocent person to try to score points in a diplomatic conflict? This affair, beyond the Moroccan-Algerian borders, should arouse unanimous condemnation. It highlights the urgent need to establish humanitarian protocols that transcend political divides.
Abdellatif Akhrif’s family, plunged into endless mourning, waited for many months to be able to repatriate their son to give him a dignified burial. Algiers’ prolonged silence on this subject was as much a humiliation for the loved ones of the deceased as it was a damning reminder of the excesses of a senile regime which has lost all sense of humanity.
This drama once again reveals the dark face of an Algerian political strategy based on the exploitation of human emotions and tragedies. Abdellatif Akhrif is no more. His body, which remained a prisoner in a foreign morgue for a long time, has become a symbol of Algiers’ disastrous policy, a policy that prefers confrontation to compassion. May his story serve as a call to reason, in a world that needs humanity more than ever.
