Moroccan Navy Rescues Over 100 Migrants En Route to Europe

Saturday 03 February 2024 - 11:12

The Royal Moroccan Navy sprang into action on Thursday, rescuing a group of more than 100 migrants stranded off the coast of Dakhla. A navy patrol boat intercepted a vessel carrying 104 sub-Saharan Africans who were attempting to make the perilous journey to the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory situated over 60 miles away from the Moroccan coast.

The migrants, hailing from various nations in West and Central Africa, included 90 from Mali, 7 from Mauritania, 3 from Senegal, 2 from Ivory Coast, and 2 from Guinea. Their small boat, overloaded and ill-equipped for the hazardous Atlantic crossing to the Canary Islands and beyond into Europe, faced dire conditions.

In response, Morocco's naval forces swiftly provided emergency assistance. They brought the distressed migrants aboard their patrol ship, offering immediate medical care. Once back on shore, the rescued group was seamlessly transferred to the Royal Gendarmerie for routine immigration processing.

This high-seas rescue on Thursday sheds light on the persistent challenges faced by African migrants in their quest for improved opportunities and asylum in Europe. Morocco, situated as a crucial transit point along the hazardous Western Mediterranean route exploited by human traffickers, intercepted over 65,000 migrants attempting irregular crossings in 2022 alone.