Rabat – Moroccan security services aborted a collective irregular migration attempt near Ceuta on January 19.
A video shows a group of at least 400 sub-Saharan migrants attempting to reach ceuta at the Benzu crossing.
Morocco’s intervention came after Moroccan police received an alert from their Spanish counterpart.
Read Also: Morocco’s Cooperation Helped Spain to Cut Irregular Migration by More than Half
About 24 people from security personnel and migrants sustained injuries during the operation.
Some of the migrants were transferred to Fnideq and Mdiq, in northern Morocco for medical care.
Morocco and Spain have been facing notable pressure of irregular migration in the last year. In response, the two countries have intensified efforts in recent weeks to curb irregular migration.
The Spanish government acknowledged that Morocco’s help has been pivotal in cutting the number of successful attempts at irregular migration to Spain s by more than half.
“Morocco is cooperating more than ever in recent years,” El Pais quoted sources from Salvamento Maritimo, Spain’s sea search and rescue agency, as saying.
Spanish emergency services rescued only rescued 11 boats, nine of which were rescued in the first half of 2019 and only two in the second half.
Spain rescued 669 people during the operations. The number represents a 4% decrease in migrants compared to 2018.
Meanwhile, El Pais recalled that Morocco rescued over 8,000 migrants last year.
Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security indicated in its annual report in December 2019 that security services arrested 505 organizers of undocumented migration involved in 62 criminal networks.
Operations against irregular migration resulted in the arrest of 27,317 would-be migrants, including 20,141 of foreign nationality. Moroccans represented 26% of those arrested trying to migrate without documents.
