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Moroccan Coast Guard Rescues 196 Migrants from Stranded Canoe

Monday 22 July 2024 - 10:30

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On a recent Saturday, a Royal Navy patrol boat conducted a dramatic rescue operation, saving 196 sub-Saharan migrants from a failing canoe approximately 157 kilometers northwest of Dakhla. The migrants, en route to the Canary Islands, encountered severe difficulties that necessitated urgent intervention. Among those rescued, one individual was found deceased.

The Royal Navy patrol boat responded promptly, providing emergency medical care on board before safely transporting the survivors to the port of Dakhla. Upon arrival, the rescued individuals were handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for further processing and administrative procedures. The body of the deceased migrant was transferred to the morgue at Hassan II Hospital in Dakhla by Civil Protection teams.

This rescue effort is part of Morocco’s broader strategy to combat illegal immigration and human trafficking. The country has been vigilant in its efforts to thwart irregular migration attempts towards Europe.

In June 2023, Morocco’s Ministry of Interior released data revealing the extent of these efforts. Over the past five years, authorities have prevented 366,000 irregular migration attempts. The year 2022 alone saw the abortion of 70,781 such attempts.

Morocco’s approach has not only focused on prevention but also on humanitarian aid. Over the same five-year period, the country has rescued more than 90,000 irregular migrants, particularly in maritime operations. In 2022, the Royal Navy saved over 12,000 migrants from perilous conditions at sea.

Additionally, Morocco has taken significant steps to dismantle criminal networks that facilitate irregular migration. In 2022, the Moroccan police dismantled 290 such networks. By the end of May 2023, an additional 117 networks had been foiled, bringing the total number of dismantled networks to 1,500 over the past five years.