Rabat – Morocco’s Royal Navy foiled several nighttime irregular migration attempts from September 21-24 in the Mediterranean.
Patrols by coastguards from the Royal Navy enabled them to locate and assist 284 candidates for irregular migration, a military source told Morocco’s state media on Thursday.
The migrants, mostly sub-Saharans, were aboard different inflatable boats and other means of sea transport, including inner tubes.
Coastguards helped the individuals by transferring them to national ports across Morocco after they received the necessary health care.
The source did not indicate if the would-be irregular migrants will face legal action.
The operations followed several other rescue and security patrols from the Royal Navy.
On September 10-11, Morocco’s Royal Navy arrested 168 candidates for irregular migration using several makeshift boats, jet skis, and kayaks in the Mediterreanean, in an attempt to reach Europe. The would-be irregular migrants received the necessary healthcare.
The coastguards have made similar operations throughout the year, rescuing would-be migrants and aborting dangerous and unlawful maritime migration attempts.
Royal guards are not the only services involved in operations to rescue would-be irregular migrants and prevent their unlawful migration. All of the security services in the North African country collaborate together to foil irregular migration attempts.
Morocco was able to abort 74,000 irregular migration attempts in 2019.
The annual report from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said that security units arrested over 27,317 would-be irregular migrants in 2019, including 20,110 of foreign nationality.
Moroccans represented 26% of the arrested suspects.
