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Rabat – The Royal Moroccan Navy has intercepted four boats carrying 143 migrants off the coasts of Tangier and Nador, in the northeast.
A statement by the Royal Navy’s general staff said the navy intercepted the migrants as they attempted to board boats believed to be bound for Europe.
Authorities transported 113 of the migrants to the port of Nador. The remaining 40 were transferred to another nearby port. The navy also stated that shortly after they picked up the migrants, three of the four boats sank.
Two weeks ago Moroccan authorities announced they had arrested six individuals in connection with an irregular migration network in Nador.
The latest arrests come as Morocco’s authorities face increasing pressure to stop irregular immigration attempts to Europe.
EU officials announced earlier in October they would seek to extend economic and logistic support to help Morocco curb irregular immigration attempts. Authorities also stated that current irregular migration attempts had surged 150 percent along the Western Mediterranean route from the levels recorded between 2003 and 2015.
