The Moroccan Navy intercepted between Saturday and Monday more than 350 irregular migrants, including four children, “aboard makeshift boats, kayaks or swimming” in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, a source said on Tuesday (July 26th). military.
Among the 359 rescued illegal immigrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, are ten women and four children, said the same source, quoted by the MAP news agency. They received first aid on board Navy ships, then were transported to the nearest Moroccan ports for the usual administrative procedures, according to the same source.
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On Monday, Moroccan authorities reported the death of eight migrants after their dinghy sank off the southern coast of Morocco as they attempted to reach the Spanish Canary Islands. Located at the northwestern tip of Africa, Morocco is a transit country for many migrants seeking to reach Europe from its Atlantic or Mediterranean coasts.
Nearly 1,000 migrants died or disappeared at sea in the first half of 2022 during their crossing to Spain, according to the latest report from the NGO Caminando Fronteras. This figure represents a drop of half compared to the same period of 2021 (2,087), against the backdrop of diplomatic normalization between Rabat and Madrid.