The Security Forces of the Kingdom of Morocco have repelled over 2000 illegal migrants who attempted to escalate the border of the northern Morocco city of Nador, separating it from Melilla.

The illegal migrants, armed with batons, machetes and knives, forced parts of the iron fence to collapse due to the weight of the huge number of illegal migrants trying to reach the other side resulting in 23 deaths and 76 injuries.

Most of the attackers, which was infiltrated through the border with Algeria, took advantage of the laxity of this country’s security forces in controlling the borders between the two countries.

However, the Moroccan security forces showed high responsibility and professionalism when trying to stop the attackers without using live ammunition, with 140 agents injured.

According to a statement issued by the Moroccan Foreign Affairs Ministry, Morocco reiterates its engagement in South-South cooperation, which places the human element at the centre of actions, projects and initiatives.

The statement highlighted that “thousands of sub-Saharans live in Morocco, some study there (more than 12,000 students via the cooperation channel, 90% of whom are scholarship holders from the Kingdom), and others work there. They are all fully integrated.

“Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of the King, has always pleaded for humanist, global, pragmatic and responsible migration, making Morocco a land of welcome, which has allowed the regularisation of tens of thousands of sub-Saharans since 2013 by allowing them to benefit from the same public services as Moroccan citizens.”

It added that the Kingdom of Morocco firmly applies the Kingdom's international commitments to migration and asylum and respect for human rights, which are reflected in the implementation of the National Immigration and Asylum Strategy.

According to the Ministry, the dangerous and violent assault was carried out by organised international mafia networks that engage in human trafficking by bringing in migrants from outside Morocco.

“These mafia networks are ready to do anything to deny the human life of migrants”, it added.

The Ministry stressed that Morocco remained determined to strengthen cooperation with all partners within the framework of shared responsibility for better regional security.

“Naturally, the Kingdom of Morocco remains committed to strengthening the anchoring of its humanist and solidarity-based migration governance in terms of the protection of vulnerable migrants and victims and to continue its fight against human trafficking networks, which taint the noble dimension of migration”, the Ministry emphasised.

According to the Ministry, the Moroccan authorities were waging a relentless fight with more than 1,300 networks dismantled in the last five years (256 in 2021 and 100 until May 2022).

It added that more than 360,000 irregular emigration attempts have been aborted since 2017 (including 26,000 in the first five months of 2022).

Also, the Ministry said that the humanist dimension of migration management in Morocco is reflected in the voluntary returns that we make available to migrants who wish to return to their countries of origin with full respect for their rights and dignity.

The Ministry stated that the regional environment, the post-covid context, the war in Ukraine and the looming food crisis exacerbate the migration challenge and require more concrete actions in terms of active solidarity and plural support.

“Morocco is also ready to cooperate fully with its African friends and brothers through the exchange of expertise and cross-training,” it noted.

It further called on the countries of the North (Europeans) to favour a balance in their approach, which must not be imbued with security at all but based on structural solutions around the sustainable development of the countries of origin and the encouragement of legal mobility between the two shores.