A heated discussion has arisen among the Norwegian media after reports revealed the use of Special Forces officers in a dispute between a Norwegian woman and her estranged former husband from Morocco.
The officers are alleged to have assisted with the smuggling of the couple’s two children from their father’s home, something that the Norwegian Foreign Ministry strongly denies. The children had reportedly managed to escape from their father’s residence in Rabat last July before seeking safety at the Norwegian Embassy.
The Foreign ministry said the situation was deemed to be a crisis and therefore allowed entry to the pair of runaways. Just three days later the children were driven by an embassy official to an agreed drop-off location where they were handed over to a representative of their mother who was in Morocco at the time. The ‘rescued’ portion of the fractured family was then smuggled out of the country on a small boat, but accusations have been flying since it was discovered that the sailing boat was manned by two Special Forces staff.
Grete Faremo, the Norwegian Defence Minister, confirmed that the Special Forces of the Norwegian Navy were involved with the sailing of the vessel but claimed that the pair was merely on holiday at the time. Faremo did acknowledge that any participation by staff, regardless of whether on leave, was inappropriate. Meanwhile, opposition in the Norwegian parliament have demanded a full investigation.
The mother of the children had been seeking embassy help for several years and claimed that authorities had done little to enforce a court order that granted her custody of their children. There have also been allegations that the father had made threats towards the Norwegian Ambassador in Morocco.
Why would anyone have anything against Norwegian special forces helping a Norwegian mother and her children?
we are not a banana republic ! Norwegians should understand that this behavior is condemned by international laws.