Morocco blocked 75,000 African immigrants from reaching EU
Morocco prevented 75184 people from illegally migrating to Europe, Interior ministry reported to Reuters on 23 January.
The ministry explained that the figures reflected the border and coast surveillance apparatus’ resilience.
Morocco and Spain patched up a separate diplomatic feud in 2022. As a result, they have since strengthened their cooperation in addressing illegal migration.
For a long time, Morocco has been a huge launch pad for African migrants who aimed at reaching Europe through the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, or by jumping the fence surrounding the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
The ministry further stated that in the previous year, there were six groups attempts to cross into Ceuta and Mililla, consisting of over 1400 migrants, a decrease of 62 percent compared to 2022.
Morocco reported that in 2022, 23 migrants died during an attempted mass crossing into Melilla. This incident outraged rights groups, according to Reuters.
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Due to tighter surveillance of Morocco’s northern borders, there has been a rapid increase in the number of migrants to try the riskier and longer Atlantic route to the Canary Islands, according to Ousman Ba, a Senegalese national who runs a migrant community charity in Nador, near Melilla.
In 2023, the Moroccan navy saved 16,818 people at sea, an increase of 35 percent compared to 2022, according to the interior ministry.
Furthermore, 419 migrants trafficking networks were busted in Morocco, an increase of 44 percent from last year.
Reuters
