Zawaya

Maghreb identity is not threatened by sub-Saharan migration

By: Mahmoud Belhimer

The illegal African migration from the sub-Saharan region to Europe has become a heavy burden on Maghreb countries, especially with the significant increase of the flow of this migration, which is a phenomenon that is as old as the human relations between the Maghreb and the rest of Africa.

The Maghreb countries are in fact a transit area for those Africans who are fleeing war and poverty, and seeking to achieve the dream of living in the “European Paradise” or at least leading a quiet life in one of the Maghreb countries for a while. However, the Maghreb has turned into a host country in which these immigrants settle down even temporarily.

The main concerns of the Maghreb peoples regarding this wave of migration from the sub-Saharan region are not limited to the specific question of identity, but are focused on two points: the first is economic and related to the required resources to face this phenomenon; and the second is related to the phenomena associated with immigration.

A new financial burden is imposed on the Maghreb countries due to the need to strengthen security and control measures, not only for border control and migration monitoring, but also for the management of settlements composed by Africans in some Maghreb cities. On the other hand, the supposedly temporary stay of African potential migrants who are planning to cross the ocean has become the origin of some disturbing phenomena.

An example of these phenomena in Algeria is that most illegal immigrants often work in agriculture, construction, and services in cities such as Tamanrasset, Ghardaia, Maghnia, or the capital, which means that these workers are subject to exploitation on the one hand, and that they compete with the local labor force looking for work in these sectors on the other hand. There is also the fact that most African migrants seek to reach the other side of the Mediterranean by various means, which prompts many of them to join mafia networks for theft, counterfeit currency, trade drugs, or resort to prostitution. This is a concern for both the official bodies and the people in the Maghreb.

In my opinion, the rejection of those migrants is primarily caused by these reasons, before having anything to do with identity. I recall here something that I experienced personally in the municipality of Cheraga in the city of Algiers, where dozens of Africans settled in an abandoned villa that they had used as a shelter. A few years later, life became a living hell for locals due to fights, thefts, and acts of violence caused by the newcomers.

Some reports indicate that sub-Saharan immigrants usually settle in residential areas in ghettos categorized by country or language (French and English speakers), and religion (as well) (Muslims and Christians). These groupings reveal human suffering, and do not display any intention of fighting local identity or influencing it as the local population fears.

In reality, sub-Saharan migrants do not have the legal status that enables them to blend in Maghreb societies as official migrants who can engage in any activity lawfully, as there are no policies in the Maghreb on receiving immigrants, as is the case in the United States and Europe.