By Khalid Mejdoup

RABAT, Morocco (AA): Morocco said it had thwarted more than 25,000 attempts by irregular migrants to cross the Mediterranean into Europe this year.

“Moroccan authorities intercepted 25,519 irregular migration attempts and rescued 3,150 migrants in the first five months of 2023,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement cited by state news agency MAP.

According to the ministry, a total of 70,781 illegal migration attempts were foiled in 2022.

“Around 12,478 migrants were rescued last year,” it added.

The ministry that 366,000 attempts by irregular migrants were thwarted in the past five years, with 90,000 migrants rescued.

The ministry added that 117 trafficking networks had been dismantled since the start of 2023, down from 290 networks in 2022.

The Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta on the northern Moroccan coast are considered main routes for illegal migration trips towards Europe.

The two enclaves are under the Spanish rule but Morocco considers them occupied territories.

For years, North African countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, and Mauritania have witnessed attempts by migrants – mainly from sub-Saharan Africa – to reach Europe, hoping for a better life. While some of the migrants manage to reach their destination, others often die during the journey.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi

[Map of Morocco from CIA Factbook/Public Domain]