Moroccan authorities prevented 78,685 migrants from attempting to enter the European Union illegally in 2024, marking a 4.6% increase from the previous year.
- Moroccan authorities prevented 78,685 migrants from attempting to enter the European Union illegally in 2024.
- Morocco and Spain have strengthened their cooperation to combat irregular migration since 2022
- Years of armed conflict, high unemployment, and climate change impact continue to push migrants towards Europe
Moroccan authorities prevented 78,685 migrants from attempting to enter the European Union illegally in 2024, marking a 4.6% increase from the previous year, the Interior Ministry announced on Thursday.
The ministry attributed the rise to “growing migratory pressure in an unstable regional environment.” Of those intercepted, 58% originated from West Africa, 12% from North Africa—including Morocco itself—and 9% from East and Central Africa, Reuters reported.
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Years of armed conflict in Africa’s Sahel region, high unemployment, and the devastating impact of climate change on farming communities continue to push migrants toward Europe.
Since resolving a diplomatic dispute in 2022, Morocco and Spain—an EU member—have strengthened their cooperation to combat irregular migration.
For years, Morocco has been a key departure point for African migrants attempting to reach Europe, whether by crossing the Mediterranean, navigating the Atlantic, or scaling the fences surrounding Spain’s North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
According to the Interior Ministry, in 2024, Morocco recorded 14 group attempts to cross into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, more than double the six attempts in 2023.
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According to the Africa Migration Report (AMRII), Morocco and France maintain one of the largest migration corridors from Africa to other continents, with 1,059,918 movements.
Authorities also rescued 18,645 migrants from unsafe boats attempting to reach Europe, marking a 10.8% increase from the previous year.
Despite intensified efforts to curb irregular migration, tragedies persist. Just last month, as many as 50 migrants were feared to have drowned in a shipwreck while trying to cross the Atlantic from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, according to a migrant rights group.
