Irregular migration trends in Morocco remained stable over the past year, with only 467 cases recorded along the northern route towards Spain. This includes crossings to the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which saw a 75% decrease compared to 2022. The decline is attributed to heightened security efforts by both Morocco and Spain.
The information comes from a report published by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, as reported by Moroccan news site “Hespress” on Tuesday.
The report addresses human smuggling and trafficking in North Africa and the Sahel region. Morocco has increased the number of checkpoints at the entrances of northern towns near Ceuta and Melilla, especially in Nador, as part of its efforts to prevent migrants from approaching these areas.
According to the report, these Moroccan security measures have successfully prevented the concentration of migrants near the border regions in recent years. The authorities closed migration routes and intensified coastal surveillance during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to closer cooperation between Rabat and Madrid.
The report notes significant stability in areas that were previously migrant departure points in northern Morocco. However, there has been an increase in migrants from Morocco to the Canary Islands last year.
Conversely, the report highlights how foreign migrants, using Morocco as a departure point for Europe, have changed their launch locations and adopted simultaneous smuggling operations from multiple areas to evade security forces.
Additionally, individual migration cases using specific types of sleds and rubber boats have been observed, methods that were not prevalent in Morocco last year. The report suggests that the attraction to these unconventional migration methods is due to their lower cost compared to irregular migration expenses associated with larger groups, alongside instances of drug smuggling alongside migrant trafficking.
