The Moroccan Royal Navy rescued around 12,000 migrants in Moroccan waters in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic between January and September of this year, Defense Minister Abdellatif Loudiyi said.
Loudiyi gave the figures in a closed meeting with the deputies of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Commission of the House of Representatives, Spanish agency EFE reported.
The minister also added that around 50,000 Moroccan soldiers have been mobilized to permanently monitor the country’s borders.
He said troops from the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and the Royal Gendarmerie arrested more than 56,000 irregular migrants in the first nine months of 2023.
Loudiyi added that the troops of the FAR and the Royal Gendarmerie deploy “continuous efforts” and ensure “permanent vigilance” to fight against irregular migrations, by consolidating human and technical resources for border surveillance and the rescue of migrants.
In Late October, Morocco announced it created a new military zone, the northern region, to strengthen the Kingdom’s ability to fight smuggling and irregular migration.
The establishment of this zone comes with royal instructions, and aims to tackle the challenges facing the Kingdom.
The purpose of creating this zone is to reduce cross-border crime, smuggling and irregular migration, and to strengthen the capabilities of defending the kingdom’s possession and territorial integrity.
This is the first time that Morocco is heading east and north to establish two integrated military regions, similar to those in the south.
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