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Join on Telegram Rabat – Nearly 100 irregular migrants reportedly of Moroccan origin attempted to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta through swimming, Spanish news agency EFE reported.
Only 10 of the migrants managed to reach the enclave, with eight of them being returned to Morocco.
Two of the migrants, who were minors, were granted asylum, EFE quoted Spanish police sources as saying on Saturday.
The news agency said that the migrants took advantage of the dense clouds from Friday, attempting to cross through the border breakwater known as the Tarajal de Ceuta.
Coordination between Spanish and Moroccan authorities aborted the irregular migration attempts.
The news outlet stressed that irregular migration attempts have been tense through the summer season.
“The month of August is most favorable for such attempts by immigrants aiming to cross the border between Morocco and Ceuta clandestinely,” the report added.
Morocco’s royal navy has been also intensifying its efforts to tackle the increasing irregular migration attempts.
Navy patrols carried out a series of rescue operations, helping several inflatable boats in distress in Morocco’s waters.
One of these operations was on Thursday, when Morocco rescued 67 individuals, including a woman and three minors who were on board a boat in distress approximately a hundred kilometers north of the western Moroccan town of Tarfaya.
Morocco has been calling for a shared responsibility approach to tackle irregular migration.
Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita renewed the appeal in July during the International Conference on Development and Migration in Rome, stressing that the North African country has provided concrete responses at the national, interregional and continental levels despite several challenges.
He emphasized that Morocco integrated migrants through two regularization operations, as well as the establishment of responsible and humane border management.
