Sudanese refugees fleeing the war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 are increasingly stranded along Morocco’s eastern border, caught between Algerian and Moroccan security forces. Many, like 17-year-old Amir Ali, have endured torture, trafficking, and repeated detentions while crossing Libya and Algeria before reaching Morocco, which they view as a safer destination to seek asylum. Despite being a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, Morocco has yet to implement a national asylum law, leaving the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to handle registration and refugee status determinations under its international mandate.
By the end of 2025, UNHCR had registered 22,370 refugees and asylum seekers in Morocco, with Sudanese nationals forming the largest group of new arrivals. However, refugees face severe challenges: limited access to healthcare, housing, and formal employment, and reports of police pushbacks to southern Morocco or the Algerian border persist. Aid groups such as Fondation Orient-Occident describe the Sudanese community as deeply traumatized and living in precarious conditions.
UNHCR officials warn that a humanitarian funding crisis in 2025 has slowed registration and reduced assistance, leaving many refugees vulnerable to arrest, removal, and worsening health conditions while awaiting resettlement or medical care.
Share Rabat, Morocco - Amir Ali stood on a narrow strip of land between two countries. Ahead, Moroccan guards moved through the darkness with flashlights and dogs. Behind him, Algerian security forces waited. For two days, he stayed hidden in the hil
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