Morocco last year intercepted nearly 80,000 migrants trying to enter Europe illegally

Morocco intercepted 78,685 migrants attempting to enter Europe illegally last year, up 4.6 percent from the previous year.

Morocco's Interior Ministry said on Thursday that the latest data showed increasing migratory pressures in a volatile regional environment.

Of the migrants attempting to enter Europe illegally last year, 58 percent were from West Africa, 12 percent were from North Africa, where Morocco is located, and 9 percent were East and Central Africans.

African migrants have long tried to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean or crossing fences in the Spanish Moroccan cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

Last year, there were 14 attempted group crossings into Ceuta and Melilla, and six in 2023.

Moroccan authorities rescued 18,645 illegal migrants from boats last year, 10.8 percent more than in 2023.

Last month, as many as 50 West African migrants were estimated to have drowned when their boat capsized while trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean to the Spanish Canary Islands.

Armed conflict in Africa's Sahel region, unemployment and the impact of climate change on farming communities have all been driving migrants to Europe for years.

Since settling a diplomatic dispute in 2022, Morocco has stepped up cooperation with neighboring EU member Spain in the fight against undocumented migrants.