Authorities in Morocco reported the rescue of 57 migrants, including seven minors, on a Wednesday operation. Among them was a 13-year-old who was aboard a boat aimed at the Canary Islands. The incident comes amid a noticeable rise in such rescues over recent weeks, highlighting ongoing migration pressures across the region.
The General Staff of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces stated that the vessel was intercepted five kilometers off the coast of Dakhla, a city in Western Sahara under Moroccan administration. The rescued individuals, all of sub-Saharan origin, received essential medical care at once before being transported to Dakhla. There, they were handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie and subjected to the appropriate administrative steps, as communicated by the state news agency MAP.
Moroccan authorities have continued to confront large-scale irregular migration, reporting that nearly 87,000 people were stopped in 2023. A series of operations across the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and other national waters aimed at reaching southern Europe, particularly Spain, have defined the year’s security and humanitarian efforts.
Spain’s Ministry of the Interior documented 56,852 irregular arrivals in 2023 as of January 3, marking an increase of roughly 82 percent compared with 2022. That year stands as a record year for irregular entries in Spain, second only to 2018, underscoring the persistent and evolving migration dynamics affecting both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar. [MAP]