Meknes – Many irregular Moroccan migrants are not satisfied with their “inhumane” living conditions in the Barranco Seco military camp on the Canary Islands, Spanish outlet OK Diario reported on December 7.
Moroccan migrants who spoke with OK Diario said they “have not taken a shower for days.” They also stated that they feel “cold at night” and that they “have no light in the tents where they sleep.”
The Moroccan migrants OK Diario interacted with at the Canary Islands arrival facility wore nearly no clothes—the lucky ones had a sweatshirt while others wore a t-shirt and shorts. Most have “only a thin and small blanket.”
After migrants pay smugglers for a dangerous Atlantic crossing to reach Europe, especially Spain, December nights in Las Palmas can dip to temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius and are often humid.
Language often presents a barrier for migrants and “hinders their communication with the police and health workers.”
Approximately 10 kilometers from Las Palmas’ city center, the Barranco Seco camp was an army munitions warehouse before it turned into a camp to receive irregular migrants. Arrivals spend a maximum of three days at the facility before transfer.
Beyond struggling to meet standard basic needs, the COVID-19 situation in the camp poses another difficulty. Poor hygiene conditions could lead to a speedy spread of the virus.
On November 20, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska commented during a Moroccan visit about a surge in arrivals of irregular migrants in the Canary Islands.
The minister highlighted the intensified bilateral efforts Morocco and Spain have set to counter irregular migration.
According to UN Migration (IOM), more than 16,000 irregular migrants had arrived in the Canaries as of mid-November, a “substantial increase” compared to 2019. In addition to conflict, IOM identified the pandemic’s impact, climate change, and food insecurity as major drivers of the phenomenon.
