Figuig, Morocco, March 21 (AFP/APP): Moroccan farmers in an isolated oasis on the Algerian border are bearing the brunt of regional tensions after Algiers expelled them from date groves they have worked for generations.
The border between the arch-rivals has been closed since 1994, but Algeria had allowed some residents of the Moroccan frontier town of Figuig to cross into the date groves of Al-Arja, known to Algerians as the Laaroda oasis.
In recent days, Algeria has withdrawn that right, deploying soldiers to enforce the move. “Everybody feels wronged,” said Mohamed Jabbari, an unemployed 36-year-old who joined a protest in Figuig against the move.
“Agriculture is the only resource we have. There’s no work here, no factories.” On Thursday, some 4,000 people — around half of Figuig’s population — attended an angry demonstration against Algeria’s decision. Morocco’s regional authorities organised a meeting to “examine possible solutions to mitigate the impact” of a decision they said was “temporary”.
The Figuig oasis, sitting on a caravan route on the edge of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara desert, was settled in ancient times.
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