As part of efforts made to preserve the national archive and Moroccan collective memory, Mrs. Amina Bouayach, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), addressed, at the end of last week, through the diplomatic services of the Kingdom, a letter to the French Diplomatic Archives - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in which she stressed the importance of returning the late Mohammed Ben Abdelkrim El Khattabi archive to Morocco.

CNDH correspondence comes to support the request previously sent by the Institution of Archives of Morocco (Archives du Maroc) to the Diplomatic Archives to return the original documents of the late Mohammed Ben Abdelkrim El Khattabi, seized by French troops in 1926. It is also part of joint initiatives for the promotion of the Moroccan Archive which are conducted by the CNDH and the Institution of Archives of Morocco, particularly under the Unit for the preservation of memory and the promotion of Moroccan history and its various tributaries, hosted by the CNDH.

In this correspondence, Mrs. Bouayach stated that the promotion of Moroccan archives and the preservation of collective memory constitute a structuring axis of the CNDH's action. She explained that the national archives, in addition to their symbolic value, are significantly important in consolidating the Rule of law and in the reading of historical events, particularly with regard to the current history.

To be noted, the CNDH established, in May 2021, a Unit, under its Presidency, for the preservation of memory and the promotion of Moroccan history and its various tributaries. Besides, the CNDH, Archives du Maroc and this Unit attach particular importance to the question of the restitution of the Moroccan archive to complete the project related to the preservation of collective memory and national archive.