A traditional boat carrying dozens of migrants was stranded in the Mediterranean sea for almost 10 hours before Spanish coast guard officers were able to rescue them.
The boat carried 51 migrants, including 4 women, 3 children, and two infants, who came from the Sidi Abed and Tighanimine areas in Al Hoceima and Tasman.
The migrants were transferred to the Spanish port of Motril, after they were rescued.
The same source said more migrants have begun to cross into Spanish shores from Morocco, particularly in Temsamane and in Al Hoceima. Some have returned to old methods to cross.
Morocco and Algeria continue to be the main departure points of irregular migrants who reached mainland Spain and the Canary Islands by the sea in 2022, according to the European Commission.
But their numbers dropped by 16% compared to 2021.
Spain has recently given Morocco a 30 million euros aid to cover expenses of border control. Another 16 million euros will go to Ceuta and Melilla.
The assistance should contribute to covering expenditures related to land, sea, and coastal patrols and surveillance, as well as costs related to maintenance and repair
The newly announced aid follows repeated calls by Morocco’s migration chief, Khaled Zerouali who said that the assistance provided by the European Union to Morocco to combat irregular migration, amounting to 500 million euros over seven years, is not sufficient to cover state expenditures, which amount to 427 million euros annually.
Weeks after, Morocco announced it created a new military zone, the northern region, to strengthen the Kingdom’s ability to fight smuggling and irregular migration.
The reduce cross-border crime, smuggling, and irregular migration, and to strengthen the capabilities of defending the kingdom’s possession and territorial integrity.
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