Morocco Intercepts 45,000 Migrants From Illegally Migrating To Europe In 2024

Morocco has prevented 45,015 people from illegally migrating to Europe since January and dismantled 177 migrant trafficking gangs, according to the state news agency on Friday, which cited interior ministry data.

No comparative data for the same period in 2023 was provided. Last year, Morocco prevented 75,184 people from crossing into Europe illegally, a 6% increase from the previous year, according to government data. The Moroccan navy has also rescued 10,859 migrants at sea this year, news agencies reported, referencing the interior ministry data.

Morocco faces rising migratory pressure in 2024

The ministry indicated that Morocco continues to face rising migratory pressure in 2024 due to ongoing instability in the Sahel region and porous borders.

Morocco has long been a significant launch point for African migrants seeking to reach Europe via the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, or by crossing the fence around the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. Since resolving a diplomatic dispute with Spain in 2022, both countries have enhanced their cooperation on illegal migration.

Recently, Spanish police reported that hundreds of migrants exploited dense fog to swim to Ceuta. Increased surveillance of Morocco’s northern borders has led more migrants to attempt the more dangerous and extended Atlantic route to the Canary Islands.

The significant scale of irregular migration towards Morocco has compelled the country to bolster its border control measures and take its role as a European migration gatekeeper seriously.

Morocco: The protector of European borders

In the past five years, Moroccan authorities have intercepted around 366,000 irregular migration attempts to Europe. In 2023 alone, Morocco apprehended roughly 75,000 migrants, reflecting a 6 percent year-on-year increase. This rise in migrant flows corresponds with the increasing “securitization” of European migration policies. Economic crises and the rise of far-right political influence in many EU countries, along with escalating anti-migrant sentiment, are undermining migrants’ rights. Morocco is increasingly seen as a protector of European borders.

The European agreement to reform the migration system involves stricter border management measures, including the establishment of closed centers near the EU’s external borders in cooperation with transit countries. Additionally, Morocco’s growing dependence on the expertise of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), whose personnel and equipment are to be deployed on Moroccan coasts, could impact its credibility and sovereignty in managing migration and controlling its borders. This situation may jeopardize its role as an intermediary between countries of origin and destination.

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Migration accompanied by violence

Just last month, Moroccan police arrested six sub-Saharan African migrants accused of involvement in violence against law enforcement officers during an evacuation operation of migrant camps in Casablanca, according to local media.

The suspects were reported to have thrown stones at officers who were clearing illegal migrant camps near the Oulad Ziane bus station in Casablanca.

The state-owned SNRTnews mentioned that one policeman was injured and five police vehicles were damaged due to the violence. Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) condemned the violence during the migrant expulsion.

AMDH, Morocco’s leading human rights organization, stated on Facebook that the authorities were accountable for the migrants’ presence at these locations, as those arrested in various regions were being sent back to Casablanca. Social media images showed African migrants throwing stones and pursuing police officers on a tramway extension under construction in Oulad Ziane.

This area of Casablanca occasionally experiences tensions between the authorities and migrants living in unsanitary illegal camps. Until 2019, this neighborhood housed one of Morocco’s largest and last improvised camps for illegal migrants.

Morocco, located at the northwestern tip of Africa, serves as a transit country for many sub-Saharan migrants aiming to reach Europe from its Atlantic or Mediterranean coasts.

EU managing the migration

In March, the EU signed a significant aid agreement with Egypt, aiming to reduce irregular migration to Europe and boost Egypt’s economy.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and five EU national leaders, announced that the €7.4 billion deal would be distributed over four years. It is partly intended to enhance border controls.

This agreement aligns with a series of similar deals Brussels has made with neighboring countries to manage irregular migration ahead of the EU election in June.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a key advocate for these deals, viewed the EU-Egypt agreement as an opportunity for African residents to remain in their countries rather than migrate to Europe. The EU leaders and el-Sisi also emphasized the need for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, with von der Leyen expressing concern about famine conditions in the Gaza Strip, stating that such a situation is unacceptable.

The EU’s externalization strategy for migration management has faced criticism from advocacy groups for lacking human rights safeguards, potentially exposing migrants to harsh conditions and funding autocratic regimes. Despite this, the strategy has gained support from EU governments after a migration surge in the mid-2010s.

Following similar agreements with Turkey, Tunisia, and Mauritania, the EU is expected to sign another deal with Morocco.

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