Moroccan authorities expelled on December 29 two university professors from the southern Moroccan city of Laayoun after they were involved in separatism-related actions in the city.

Arrived in Laayoun’s Hassan I airport on December 28, the Japanese university professors  told the authorities that they are in the city for “tourism purposes.”

Their function as university professors and their marital statues have facilitated their access to the Moroccan city.  After spending their first night in Laayoun, the couple  were spotted at the headquarters of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), according to Moroccan news outlet Le360.

The academics’ visit was suspicious as it coincided with the visit of  Colin Stewart, MINURSO’s new chief, who has reportedly been in a visit in Layoun to conduct an evaluation of the mission’s performance in the region.

The two japanese were also planning to conduct several meetings with separatist activists in Laayoun as they were both guests of the so-called Sahrawi Association of Victims of Human Rights Violations by the Moroccan State (ASVDH), known for its pro-separatist agenda.