Morocco has highlighted its significant efforts in combating irregular migration since the beginning of 2024, coinciding with the recent increase in clandestine migration flows towards northern Morocco and southern Spain. From January 1 to the end of August 2024, Morocco successfully thwarted over 54,000 attempts at irregular migration.
According to statistics recently revealed by the Moroccan Ministry of Interior, August recorded the highest number of irregular migration attempts, with 11,323 attempts foiled in the M'diq-Fnideq region and 3,325 in the Nador province.
The Ministry also pointed out that those involved in these attempts were of various nationalities. The large number of cases registered in the M'diq-Fnideq region can be attributed to its proximity to the occupied city of Ceuta, where thousands of migrants in August attempted to reach the city by swimming, taking advantage of foggy conditions in the area on certain days.
Additionally, the Ministry noted the dismantling of 177 criminal networks involved in smuggling irregular migrants since the beginning of the year. This high number, given the short time frame, reflects the increasing activity of criminal networks that exploit migrants despite ongoing security crackdowns.
Regarding the number of migrants rescued by the Royal Moroccan Navy at sea, whether while swimming or aboard boats, the total exceeded 10,500 since the start of this year through the end of August.
The Moroccan authorities emphasized that these efforts were the result of vigilance from various security agencies, despite the growing challenges posed by smuggling networks and continuous migration flows from the Sahel region due to difficult socio-economic conditions in those countries.
