Casablanca local authorities have managed to move sub-saharan migrants from the Oulad Ziane area in the city, ahead of a Royal visit to the economic capital.
The irregular migrants were transferred to the space adjacent to the road station in Oulad Zyan, which they used previously as a camp, before a fire broke out and forced them to move.
Many migrants lived in the large camp near the Oulad Ziyan station, although the camp frequently saw fires and violent encounters between the camp’s inhabitants, locals and at times, authorities.
According to Hespress AR, residents of the Oulad Zyan area are happy about the removal of migrants, as they had been complaining about the make-shift camp for months now, calling for urgent authorities’ intervention.
Residents complained of repeated thefts, assaults and lack of hygiene in the residential area.
To prevent random squatters in Casablanca and to free-up some overcrowded roads to facilitate traffic, local authorities are seeking to permanently transfer and relocate the migrants.
Casablanca is the city with the most migrants in Morocco, as it accounts for an important resident sub-saharan African community, and work opportunities are more attainable in the city. This would secure some migrants enough money to start the transit journey to Europe.
The Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis reports that Morocco has launched a campaign to legalize the status of migrants who are living irregularly in Morocco.
As a result, 83% of the total number of applications submitted in the first phase of 2014 were regularized.
The number of irregular migrants, according to the report, was estimated to range between 25,000 and 40,000, most of whom from sub-Saharan countries, according to estimates by the Ministry of the Interior dating back to 2013.
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