Morocco’s Navy & Gendarmerie Foil Illegal Migration Attempt

Le port Tanger Med et la zone maritime avoisinante accueillent, mercredi (18/06/14), le 7ème Exercice national de simulation de lutte contre la pollution marine accidentelle par les hydrocarbures “Simulex 2014”. (MAP Jalal Hamouda)

Morocco’s Royal Navy and the Royal Gendarmerie have thwarted an illegal migration attempt to Europe from the country’s Northern Martil Beach.

A Navy combat vessel monitoring the Mediterranean coast of the North African Kingdom has chased on Sept.22-23 a very high-speed boat, which was trying to reach the Martil beach to pick up illegal migrants, says a press release issued by the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces.

But the swift intervention and coordination between the Moroccan combat ship and two fast boats of the Royal Gendarmerie forced the smuggling high-speed boat to flee to the high sea, adds the release.

This smuggling operation was disrupted thanks to the vigilance and constant surveillance of the Moroccan coasts by the Navy and security forces.

As Italy closes its ports to illegal migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, more and more are changing route to Spain. So far this year 38,852 migrants reached this European country, twice as many as the same period of 2017. More than 310 have died at sea.

The vast majority come via Morocco, which foiled 54,000 illegal migration attempts so far this year, and prevented 65,000 migrants from crossing to Spain in 2017.