By Enyichukwu Enemanna
No fewer than 45,015 persons have been stopped by Moroccan authorities from illegally migrating to Europe since January, the country’s state-owned news agency MAP reported on Friday, citing interior ministry data.
Also within the period, Morocco busted 177 migrant trafficking gangs, according to the news agency.
Heritage Times HT gathered that last year, Morocco stopped 75,184 people from illegally crossing to Europe, a 6% increase from a year earlier, government data indicated.
The Moroccan navy has also rescued 10,859 migrants at sea so far this year, MAP stated further, citing the interior ministry data.
“In 2024, Morocco continues to face an increasing migratory pressure as a direct outcome of the prevailing instability in the Sahel region and porous borders,” it quoted the ministry as saying.
The North African country has for long been a major launch pad for African migrants aiming to reach Europe through the Mediterranean or the Atlantic.
Morocco and Spain have strengthened their cooperation in addressing illegal migration since they patched up a separate diplomatic feud in 2022.
Last month, however, hundreds of migrants took advantage of a thick mist to swim to Ceuta, according to Spanish police.
Tighter surveillance of Morocco’s northern borders is prompting an increasing number of migrants to try the riskier and longer Atlantic route to the Canary Islands.
