Morocco Intercepts Over 1,100 Illegal Migrants Near Spanish Enclaves On New Year’s Eve

Amidst New Year’s Eve, the Moroccan army reported intercepting more than 1,100 migrants attempting to reach the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

During overnight operations on Sunday to Monday, the army, along with security forces, detained over 1,110 individuals in Nador, M’diq, and Fnideq, as detailed by the general staff of the armed forces in a statement.

Of the total number detained, 175 migrants, found near Melilla’s border in Nador, hailed from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Yemen. The nationalities of the remaining migrants were not specified.

Ceuta and Melilla, as Spanish territories along Morocco’s northern coast, serve as the sole land borders of the European Union on the African continent and are frequently targeted by migrants aspiring to reach mainland Europe.

Spain and Morocco signed a migration cooperation agreement in February last year, while Morocco has received substantial financial aid from the EU to address this ongoing challenge.

An additional migration route passes through Spain’s Canary Islands, with migrants embarking from Morocco’s coast and the disputed Western Sahara territory. In 2023, the archipelago faced its most severe migration crisis since 2006, recording a significant increase in arrivals, reaching 32,436 migrants by November 15, a 118 percent surge from the same period in 2022, according to interior ministry figures.

Tragically, hundreds lost their lives last year attempting the perilous sea journey from distances as far as Senegal.