Paper long abstract:

Since their independence in the 1950s and 1960s, North African countries transitioned from being emigration nations to becoming transit points for migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, en rout to Europe. This shift followed the signing of Schengen convention and subsequent securitization of European borders and outsourcing border management to North African transit states. This border militarization has so far contributed to the death of 50,000 migrants in the Mediterranean, and other thousands in the Sahara Desert. North African states, aligning with EU interests, criminalize migration through laws like 02-03 in Morocco and 11-08 in Algeria. The official discourse in North Africa downplays race's role in policy, yet statements from leaders reveal underlying racial biases. Despite EU criticism, financial support often fuels the implementation of discriminatory practices, exemplified by mass displacement campaigns against Sub-Saharan migrants. Collaborative efforts include militarizing borders, restricting migrant movement within specific parts of the country, therefore making coastal cities migrant-free zones. Migrants in coastal cities, particularly in Tangier, face arrest campaigns targeting black migrants, pushing them southward. Turning the South of the country into a migrant "dumping ground" exacerbates historical grievances in an area historically marginalized and suppressed by the post-independence Arab elite. The present study explores how North African transit countries adapt migration policies under EU pressure and EU-Africa Mobility Partnerships, shaping policies with both discriminatory views and financial support. This paper delves into the narratives surrounding mobility in Africa, scrutinizing EU tropes that outsource repressive border control operations and deflect responsibility for migrant deaths. It also examines how North African countries attempt to reconcile repressive migration policies with an official discourse emphasizing their African identity. Finally, the study explores how two marginalized groups, indigenous Berbers in South Morocco and Sub-Saharan migrants, negotiate differences and conflicts within their broader struggle against the post-independence Moroccan state.

Keywords: North Africa, Migration, Racism, Berbers, Sub-Saharan Migrants, Borders.