Morocco’s Royal Navy Rescues 58 Irregular Migrants South-West of Laayoune

A high-seas patrol boat of the Moroccan Royal Navy intercepted on Wednesday a speedboat carrying 58 Sub-Saharan irregular migrants, including ten women and three minors, who were trying to reach the Canary Islands.

Rabat – A high-seas patrol boat of the Moroccan Royal Navy intercepted on Wednesday a speedboat carrying 58 Sub-Saharan irregular migrants, including ten women and three minors, who were trying to reach the Canary Islands.

The Moroccan Royal Navy managed to detect the pirogue at a 114-kilometer distance south-west of Laayoune, according to a press release from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR).

The rescued migrants received first aid on board, before being brought safely back to the port of Laayoune and handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for the usual administrative procedures, noted the statement.

Last year recorded the highest number of deaths among irregular migrants, reflecting the recent increase in migration efforts.

According to figures from the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM), 2023 was the most fatal year ever for migrants, with an astounding 8,565 people dying on migration routes worldwide.

The alarming number represents a 20% rise from 2022, noted the IOM report. It further showed that there were more deaths in 203 than in 2016, when 8,084 individuals lost their lives trying to enter Europe.

IOM concluded its report by urging individual countries and the international community to step up efforts to stop more deaths and protect the rights and dignity of every person, regardless of their immigration status.