RABAT: Morocco has stopped 45,015 people from illegally migrating to Europe since January and busted 177 migrant trafficking gangs, Morocco’s state news agency MAP reported on Friday, citing interior ministry data.
It did not give comparative data for the same period in 2023 and the interior ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Last year, Morocco stopped 75,184 people from illegally crossing to Europe, up 6 percent from a year earlier, government data showed.
The Moroccan navy has also rescued 10,859 migrants at sea so far this year, MAP said, citing the interior ministry data.
“In 2024, Morocco continues to face an increasing migratory pressure as a direct outcome of the prevailing instability in the Sahel region and porous borders,” it quoted the ministry as saying.
The North African country has for long been a major launch pad for African migrants aiming to reach Europe through the Mediterranean, the Atlantic or by jumping the fence surrounding the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
Morocco and Spain have strengthened their cooperation in addressing illegal migration since they patched up a separate diplomatic feud in 2022.
Last month, however, hundreds of migrants took advantage of a thick mist to swim to Ceuta, according to Spanish police.
Tighter surveillance of Morocco’s northern borders is prompting an increasing number of migrants to try the riskier and longer Atlantic route to the Canary Islands.
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A Syrian presidency statement said the two sides discussed cooperation, including on reconstruction, as well as “humanitarian matters and the refugee issue in Europe.”
On Thursday, a joint EU-Jordan statement issued on the eve of the EU leaders’ arrival in Damascus said that “we will continue working together in support of a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned transition.”
Syria is struggling to forge a new path after years of war sparked by a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.
Sharaa, who is seeking to extend state authority across the whole country, has come under pressure to protect Syria’s many minority communities, including the Kurds.
Several EU officials have visited Syria since Assad’s ouster by Sharaa’s forces more than a year ago, and the EU has removed economic sanctions in place under Assad.
In March, the EU pledged nearly 2.5 billion euros in aid for Syria for 2025 and 2026.
Von der Leyen and Costa were also visiting Lebanon on Friday.
Morocco stops 45,000 migrants from crossing to Europe in 2024
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Morocco stops 45,000 migrants from crossing to Europe in 2024
- It did not give comparative data for the same period in 2023
- Last year, Morocco stopped 75,184 people from illegally crossing to Europe, up 6 percent from a year earlier, government data showed
EU chief von der Leyen says Europe to do ‘everything it can’ to support Syria
- “Europe will do everything it can to support Syria’s recovery and reconstruction,” von der Leyen said
- A Syrian presidency statement said the two sides discussed cooperation, including on reconstruction
DAMASCUS: European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Europe would do everything possible to assist Syria’s recovery and reconstruction, after meeting President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Friday in Damascus.
Von der Leyen, the highest-ranking EU official to visit since longtime ruler Bashar Assad was ousted in December 2024, is on a regional tour alongside Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council.
Their visit comes as days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have rocked the north Syrian city of Aleppo.
“Europe will do everything it can to support Syria’s recovery and reconstruction,” von der Leyen said on X.
A Syrian presidency statement said the two sides discussed cooperation, including on reconstruction, as well as “humanitarian matters and the refugee issue in Europe.”
On Thursday, a joint EU-Jordan statement issued on the eve of the EU leaders’ arrival in Damascus said that “we will continue working together in support of a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned transition.”
Syria is struggling to forge a new path after years of war sparked by a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.
Sharaa, who is seeking to extend state authority across the whole country, has come under pressure to protect Syria’s many minority communities, including the Kurds.
Several EU officials have visited Syria since Assad’s ouster by Sharaa’s forces more than a year ago, and the EU has removed economic sanctions in place under Assad.
In March, the EU pledged nearly 2.5 billion euros in aid for Syria for 2025 and 2026.
Von der Leyen and Costa were also visiting Lebanon on Friday.
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