UN urges Algeria, Morocco to allow safe passage of Syrian refugees

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has urged Algeria and Morocco to allow safe passage to 41 Syrian refugees stranded along the border between both countries for weeks.

Algeria and Morocco have been in a diplomatic row over their 1,500-km land frontier from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sahara Desert. It has been shut since 1994 because of disputes over security.

The Syrian refugees have been stranded at the closed border for over 21 days. The UNHCR further stated that the group includes babies and a pregnant woman who are in need of medical care.

According to Human Rights Watch, the refugees arrived at the border after traveling through Libya and Sudan.

Some 5,000 Syrians have gone through a migration regulatory process in Morocco, with several hundred receiving refugee status, according to Morocco’s ministry of foreign affairs.