Morocco thwarted 75,184 attempts of irregular migration in 2023, a total that represents a 6% increase compared to 2022, according to the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior.
In 2023, Morocco continued to face constant and growing migration pressure in an unstable regional environment fraught with multiple threats. The Kingdom utilized the resilience of border and coastal surveillance systems in its fight against irregular migration. This enabled it to thwart no less than 75,000 attempts of irregular migration over the past year.
In announcing this outcome, the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior emphasizes that the activities of trafficking networks have not waned, with over 419 networks dismantled (a 44% increase from 2022). The Ministry adds that these networks constantly evolve their strategies, pooling their services and engaging in criminal activities.
Regarding sea rescue and assistance operations, the Ministry states that 16,818 migrants were rescued (a 35% increase from 2022) and provided with assistance, medical support, accommodation, and guidance, all within the framework of humane border management.
Additionally, 6 assaults on the presidios of Ceuta and Melilla were recorded, involving more than 1,400 migrants (a 62% decrease from 2022), according to the same source. It notes that 5,844 irregular migrants benefited from voluntary returns to their countries of origin, respecting their rights and dignity and in coordination with the IOM and diplomatic legations (a 62% increase from 2022).
These deployed efforts underscore the significant contribution of the Kingdom of Morocco to regional security and the fight against transborder trafficking networks. They also reflect its solidarity with all partners for a collective approach to the challenges related to migration.
While taking responsibility for migration management, Morocco places the human element at the center of its concerns. Thanks to the vision and enlightened directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has undertaken a National Strategy for Immigration and Asylum. This strategy marked a significant shift in migration governance by integrating the centrality of the paradigm of respecting migrants' rights in a solidarity and inclusive logic.
The implementation of this national human-centric strategy has led to two exceptional operations for the integration of migrants in irregular stay in Morocco in 2014 and 2016, during which the situation of over 50,000 foreigners, mostly from sub-Saharan African countries, was regularized.
