APA-Rabat (Morocco) – On Thursday, elements of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces in charge of coastal surveillance intercepted a pirogue that ran aground due to very bad weather conditions, about 262 km south-west of the city of Dakhla, with 47 suspected illegal migrants on board.
The 47 would-be migrants, all from sub-Saharan Africa, set sail on 3 March with the intention of reaching the Canary Islands, according to a press release from the Royal Armed Forces General Staff, which added that those intercepted were given the necessary care before being handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for the usual administrative procedures.
Every week, if not every day, many would-be illegal immigrants are rescued by members of the Royal Moroccan Navy.
In 2023, units of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, in collaboration with the forces of law and order, managed to intercept around 87,000 would-be illegal immigrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa.
These operations are part of border and maritime surveillance and the fight against transnational threats.
The intensification of surveillance and control operations in waters under national jurisdiction made it possible to provide assistance and support to more than 22,000 potential illegal migrants, often on board precarious boats in distress, during the same period.
HA/lb/as/APA