# 2023 Saidia incident

On 29 August 2023, two Franco-Moroccans were found dead near the maritime borders between Algeria and Morocco, and a third individual was arrested by the Algerian Navy for illegally crossing the border. All three individuals were using a jet ski while traversing the area.
According to one of the survivors, who is the brother of one of the victims, they were shot at by the Algerian Navy while they were lost at sea and had crossed the maritime borders. While Algeria has not confirmed responsibility for their deaths, they have acknowledged firing shots after issuing several warnings and attempting communication, which the individuals refused to comply with, resulting in the shots being fired. Because the border region witnesses human trafficking and large drug trafficking coming from Morocco.
The body of Bilal Kissi was recovered by a Moroccan fisherman the next day and buried on August 31 in Oujda, while Abdelali Mechouar's body was retrieved the following day by the Algerian Navy during a patrol. where he was found dead. The third individual was arrested in Algeria. The Moroccan Navy hasn't commented on this incident.

## Chronology of events
### Moroccan version

On Tuesday, August 31, 2023, Le360 [fr], a website close to the Moroccan government, interviewed a survivor of the incident and collected his testimony. The survivor, who also reiterated his account to BFM TV, stated that the vacationers got lost after nightfall and capsized in Algerian territorial waters due to a fuel outage. He claimed that the Algerian coast guard opened fire on them despite being unarmed.
Following this testimony, Moroccan media reported that the Algerian Navy fired shots at two leisure jet skis carrying four young Moroccans (including three Franco-Moroccans). The jet skis were located in an Algerian maritime zone near the maritime border when they were targeted by an Algerian Zodiac boat.
This incident resulted in the loss of two lives. One vacationer was rescued by the Moroccan Royal Navy, while the body of the second victim remains in Algerian territory. A third vacationer was arrested by the Algerian coast guard for illegal entry into their territory.
The Algerian National Navy shot at a group of three French-Moroccan tourists who crossed illegally the Algeria-Morocco maritime border on jet-skis near Saidia (Morocco) and Marsa Ben M'hidi (Algeria) and then refused to comply with the orders of the coastguard.
Two tourists, Bilal Kissi and Abdelali Mechouar, were shot dead, and another Moroccan tourist, Smaïl Snabé, was injured and detained before being presented before an Algerian prosecutor on charges of cannabis trafficking. Kissi's uncle is actor and boxer Abdel Qissi.
Bilal Kissi's body was picked up by a Moroccan fisherman and was buried in Bni Drar, while Abdelali Mechouar's body is reported to be in Tlemcen.

### Algerian version

El Watan highlighted some contradictions in the testimony of the Moroccan survivor.
The Algerian Ministry of Defense (MDN) reacted in a statement published on 3 September 2023 , regarding the incident of jet skis crossing the border between Morocco and Algeria. It states, "During a security and control patrol in our territorial waters, a unit of the coast guard, under the Western Maritime Front/2nd Military Region, intercepted three jet skis that had clandestinely crossed our territorial waters on the evening of Tuesday, 29 August 2023, at 7:47 PM." The statement explains that after issuing a "sound warning" and repeatedly ordering them to stop, the individuals on board the three jet skis "refused to comply" and "fled by performing dangerous maneuvers."
The ministry further adds that considering the "increased activity of drug trafficking gangs and organized crime" in this border maritime region and in light of the passengers' "obstinacy," the coast guard "fired warning shots" and "after several attempts, shots were fired, forcing one of the jet skis to immobilize while the other two fled."
The same source mentions that on "Wednesday, August 30, at 5:00 PM, during another coast guard patrol, an unidentified male corpse with a gunshot wound was recovered. The body was then transferred to the morgue of the Marsa Ben M'hidi polyclinic in Tlemcen."
In conclusion of its statement, the ministry appealed to various national media outlets, social media users, and citizens, urging them "not to be influenced by false information circulating with the aim of tarnishing the image of the Algerian Army."

## Reactions

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs confirmed the death of one French-Moroccan citizen and the detainment of another and stated it was in touch with the families and with Moroccan and Algerian authorities.
Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Baitas stated that the incident "exclusively fell within the prerogatives of the judicial power". The public prosecutor's office in Oujda ordered an investigation from the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie and collected testimony from witnesses.