Rabat – With many undocumented Moroccans migrating to Europe, the Moroccan youth minister has said Morocco has “enough assets to provide spaces suitable” for Moroccan youth.
Journalists asked Minister Rachid Talbi Alami about emigration from Morocco on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the second annual University of Independent Youth on Friday, September 21, in Marrakech.
The minister of sports and youth told the press, “It is not the migration of these young people to neighboring countries that is a problem, but the way they try to immigrate, which puts their lives in danger.”
Government Spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi spoke about migration on Thursday in the press conference after the government council’s weekly meeting.
He said, “At the end of August 2018, 54,000 attempts of emigration were aborted in Morocco [compared to] 39,000 during the same period of 2017.”
According to El Khalfi, Moroccans account for 13 percent of undocumented migrants who attempted to reach Europe in 2018 (7,100 Moroccans).
He added that 8,2000 Moroccans attempted to migrate to Europe in 2017.
The official said that Morocco is increasing efforts to combat immigration networks “which continue to develop their methods.”
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 6,000 Moroccans arrived in Spain by sea in 2018 as of September 9.
In the same period in 2017, up to September 10, 2,683 Moroccans arrived in Spain, according to IOM.
Talbi Alabi said that Moroccan youth trying to immigrate are looking for a better life. “Can not this ‘better life’ be granted to Morocco or are there things that prevent this?”
He added that Morocco has potential to offer youth a better life and opportunities.
“But this energy and these opportunities are not well exploited to give good results,” Talbi Alami concluded.
On Tuesday, Secretary General of the Unified Socialist Party (PSU) Nabila Mounib said that Moroccans emigrate to seek job opportunities due to “monopoly” and “theft” in Morocco.
She said the situation also prevents youth from voting and that 70 percent of Moroccans prefer not to vote because they see no point in it.
Figures of undocumented migrants differ from a source to another. In August, Spain’s Ministry of Interior released a report estimated the number of Moroccan undocumented migrants who arrived in Spain between 2016 and 2018 at 10,104.
The Spanish Ministry of Interior also indicated that more than 250,000 undocumented Moroccans are currently living in Spain, with close to 5,000 identified as “unaccompanied minors.”
