Marrakech – Operation Marhaba 2026 ended Tuesday at midnight, closing more than three months of work to receive Moroccans living abroad at transit points across the North African kingdom and in Europe.
The Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, which supervised the operation under the effective presidency of King Mohammed VI, welcomed 4,137,594 Moroccans residing abroad, a 1.8% rise over the 2025 edition.
The foundation ran the operation from June 10 to September 15, relying on a network of 26 reception spaces in Morocco and abroad. Its reception system combined a central coordination office, 1,134 social workers, and 236 doctors, paramedical staff, and temporary workers to keep a continuous presence at the main crossing points.
Arrival and departure flows were managed without notable congestion. Peaks reached close to 80,000 arrivals and more than 87,000 departures on the busiest days.
To handle these movements, especially during departures, the foundation set up a reinforced system that included firm tickets, regulation zones, care for bus passengers transiting through the ports of Tanger Med and Algeciras, and awareness campaigns.
In Morocco, the reception spaces covered the ports of Tanger Ville, Tanger Med, Nador, and Al Hoceima; the entry points of Bab Sebta and Bab Melilia; and the airports of Casablanca, Oujda, Tanger Ibn Battouta, Nador El Aroui, Marrakech, Agadir, Fez, Rabat-Salé, Laâyoune, and Dakhla. Abroad, six Marhaba spaces operated at the European ports of Genoa in Italy, Sète and Marseille in France, and Motril, Almería, and Algeciras in Spain.
On the humanitarian side, 66,993 members of the Moroccan community received direct support. Of these, 14,089 cases involved administrative, customs, and legal procedures, while 787 concerned transport aid.
Another 8,495 people benefited from medical assistance, emergency first aid, or hospitalization, in cases that ranged from multiple-trauma injuries and lost documents to boarding difficulties and road accidents.
Several interventions stood out. In July, the foundation cared for 25 victims of a bus accident on the Tangier-Kénitra highway, where a coach carrying 45 Moroccans from Italy was involved. Five seriously injured passengers were transferred to CHP El Idrissi and monitored for ten days, while transport was arranged for the others to continue their journey.
In August, the foundation organized transport for nearly 1,000 passengers stranded at the port of Algeciras. That same month, it helped 25 Moroccan-owned vehicles bound for Genoa board after they were blocked at the dock over a problem with the ship’s parking hold management.
In September, its teams supported families following the death of two members whose vehicle fell into the waters of Algeciras port, assisting with administrative formalities and the transfer of the remains.
Omar Moussa Abdellah, a project head at the foundation, told the press that the edition passed without major incident. In several emergencies, he explained, teams moved quickly to reassure families, guide them, and ease the steps they needed to continue their journeys.
The departure phase, which drew the largest outflows from mid-August, ran smoothly. At Tanger Med, the busiest transit point, the state-owned news agency MAP observed easy circulation on the final day. Travelers leaving the country voiced satisfaction with their stay and reception.
The news agency quoted some travelers recounting a pleasant stay in Morocco surrounded by family and loved ones, leaving with fine memories and awaiting their next visit to the country, while others described conditions as excellent, noting that boarding went well thanks to clear directions and guidance that let them reach the boat calmly.
