Doha – Moroccan authorities prevented a total of 14,648 migrants from illegally entering the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla during August, both by swimming and climbing border fences, Spanish news agency EFE reported on Friday.
The Moroccan Ministry of Interior reported that the vast majority of the thwarted attempts occurred in the northern Moroccan town of M’diq, bordering Ceuta.
Local authorities in the Moroccan town notably prevented 11,323 migrants from entering the Spanish city, EFE’s report detailed. In Nador, authorities foiled 3,325 attempts to enter Melilla.
Notably, 32% of all the attempts aborted by Morocco so far this year occurred in August and were directed towards Ceuta and Melilla.
According to Morocco’s interior ministry, Moroccan authorities have aborted a total of 45,015 attempts by undocumented migrants to reach Europe in 2024.
Of these, 10,589 were rescued at sea and are mostly migrants from West African countries. Those rescued subsequently received “medical assistance, accommodation, and counseling.”
A source from the Moroccan Ministry of Interior told EFE: “In 2024, Morocco still faces growing migratory pressure, a direct consequence of the instability prevailing in the Sahel region and the permeability of borders.”
The source added that “this situation is aggravated by the cynical exploitation of protection and reception policies by criminal migrant trafficking networks, who have diverted their noble objectives for their own gain.”
The source further warned that social media constitutes “a powerful pull factor for irregular migration,” particularly among young people. “It is imperative that large platforms fully assume their responsibility in moderating shared content, which is often monetized,” the source asserted.
According to MAP, the resilience of border and coastal surveillance systems has enabled Morocco to strengthen its position as a prominent actor in regional security and the fight against cross-border trafficking networks.
The country remains confronted with increasing migratory pressure in 2024, exacerbated by increasing instability in the Sahel region and the exploitation of protection policies by criminal networks.
MAP reports that effective combat against irregular migration requires seamless coordination between all partner countries through surveillance and prevention of pull factors.
In this context, responsible and united engagement with all partners, especially West African countries and Spain, proves to be the crucial lever for addressing the challenges posed by migration.
Read also: Morocco’s Increased Vigilance Reduces Illegal Swim Entries to Ceuta by 80%
