The Moroccan navy has increased marine monitoring near Sebta in an effort to reduce future migrant departures from Morocco’s coastline, due to the incessant attempts to reach the colonized city, reported Spanish New Agency EFE on Tuesday, quoting the police.
EFE said that a Moroccan patrol boat has been permanently deployed to the Benzú border dike, while control at the Tarajal border has expanded.
Nearly 135 individuals, including 57 Moroccan children, arrived by sea at Sebta (Ceuta) in recent weeks due to inclement weather. The Spanish government declared a migration emergency on February 2nd after more than 30 minors crossed the border in two days. The enclave has received 69 unaccompanied adolescents since January 1, 2024.
This emergency measure enables local authorities to request assistance from the Ministry of Children and Youth, as well as from other Spanish towns. The objective is to move some of the more than 180 unaccompanied foreign adolescents being accommodated in Sebta’s reception facilities to the mainland.
Spain was Morocco’s principal international partner in security cooperation in 2023, including operational and technical aspects of security.
According to the its 2023 report, the DGSN had foiled 23,863 illegal immigration attempts and stymied 18,820 would-be migrants of various nationalities, thereby dismantling 121 criminal networks and arresting 594 immigration mediators.