Moroccan authorities thwarted 75,184 attempts at irregular migration in 2023, marking a 6% increase from 2022, according to the Interior Ministry’s latest figures.
The ministry said that the activities of trafficking networks have not waned, citing more than 419 networks having been dismantled, a 44% increase from 2022. The networks are constantly developing new strategies and collaborating in criminal activities.
Regarding sea rescue and assistance operations, the ministry reported that Royal Navy Coast Guard units rescued 16,818 migrants (a 35% increase from 2022) and provided them with assistance, medical care, accommodation, and guidance as part of the humanitarian management of borders.
Six assaults on the Sebta and Melilla border fences were recorded in 2023 involving over 1,400 migrants, representing a 62% decrease from 2022.
The ministry also indicated that 5,844 irregular migrants voluntarily returned to their home countries, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and various diplomatic missions (a 62% increase from 2022).
Morocco has implemented a National Immigration and Asylum Strategy, which has fundamentally transformed migration governance by prioritizing respect for migrants’ rights.
The implementation of this human-centered national strategy led to two operations for the integration of irregular migrants in Morocco in 2014 and 2016, resulting in legalizing the status of over 50,000 foreigners, particularly from sub-Saharan African countries.
The General Staff of Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces (FAR) stated in a press release earlier this month that FAR and law enforcement services, including its coast guard, intercepted over 87,000 illegal migrants in 2023, most of whom were of sub-Saharan origin.
The individuals were frequently aboard makeshift boats in dangerous situations, frequently including women with infants and teenagers under the age of majority.
Hundreds of illegal migrants heading to European destinations accessible from the Kingdom’s coasts are routinely intercepted by Morocco’s coast guard and army troops.