Rabat – The Royal Moroccan Navy rescued 202 irregular migrants, mostly sub-Saharans onboard unsafe boats, in the Mediterranean Sea on December 22 and 23.
The migrants included women and children, a military source has said.
The source added that five bodies were also found in these boats, adding that the rescued people received the necessary first aid as they were found in bad condition. The migrants were transported to the ports of Nador, Tangier, and Al Hoceima.
Morocco has dismantled a dozen irregular migration networks throughout the year. On December 21, police in Tangier disbanded a human trafficking network.
Morocco has become not only a transit country for migrants but also sometimes a final destination.
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, has said that Morocco wants African migrants in the country to enjoy civil rights and a good quality of life as much as it wishes for Moroccans abroad to do so.
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Bourita also emphasized, in the aftermath of the approval of the global compact on migration, that migrants should not be treated as criminals.
Earlier this month, the European Union pledged an aid of €148 million to financially assist Morocco on the migration front.
A statement published the European Commission’s website announced that the European body will pledge a further €148 million to financially assist Morocco on the migration front.
The statement added that “the additional funding adopted under the EU emergency Trust Fund for Africa will bring the overall migration-related assistance to Morocco to €148 million in 2018. It will help step up the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking of human beings, including through reinforced integrated border management.”
