Moroccan and Spanish authorities are collaborating on a joint security operation, involving members of the Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie and the Spanish Civil Guard, to protect and monitor the northern borders of Morocco and the southern borders of Spain.
According to a statement from the Spanish Civil Guard in Algeciras, this collaboration, which was suspended in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, involves conducting joint patrols along both coasts, including the Strait of Gibraltar, as well as the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa, in addition to commercial and fishing ports.
Through these patrols, enhanced surveillance is aimed at curbing irregular migration across the Strait of Gibraltar and identifying the areas chosen by human trafficking organizations to launch their boats for illegal crossings.
The Spanish Civil Guard statement also highlighted that these recent operations are not the first of their kind this year, as similar security coordination was previously conducted in command centers in Almería and Granada, as well as along the Moroccan territories’ coasts.
During the twelfth high-level meeting between Morocco and Spain in Rabat in February, both countries agreed to intensify their security cooperation, especially in combating irregular migration, border monitoring, and combating criminal networks involved in illegal immigration.
