Rabat – Moroccan Royal Navy units intercepted a boat carrying 189 people trying to reach the Canary Islands on Monday, officials said. The vessel was stopped off the coast near Dakhla before it could head into the Atlantic Ocean.
According to a statement from the Royal Armed Forces’ General Command, most of the passengers were from Sub-Saharan Africa. They were given first aid at sea and then taken to the port of Dakhla.
From there, they were handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie so that administrative procedures could be carried out.
Morocco is an important crossroads for migrants from Africa and beyond who want to reach Europe. The country’s long Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines make it a major departure point for people attempting to reach European territory by sea
Routes from West Africa and along the North Atlantic often target the Canary Islands, which lie closer to Morocco than mainland Spain.
Moroccan authorities have stepped up patrols of both land and sea borders in recent years. Morocco said it prevented 78,685 irregular migration attempts toward European Union territory in 2057, including many sea departures and land crossings.
Earlier figures show that in 2023, Moroccan security forces thwarted more than 75,000 irregular migration attempts, rescuing thousands at sea, and dismantling dozens of human smuggling networks.
The Atlantic route toward the Canary Islands has been one of the fastest-growing migration paths from West Africa in recent years. Some migrants leave from far south along the African coast, hoping to cross the open ocean to reach the islands.
The difficult conditions and long distance make these journeys dangerous. Many migrants rely on smugglers and overcrowded boats, which risk sinking or capsizing in rough seas.
Morocco and Spain have increasingly worked together to manage irregular migration. Spanish authorities have publicly lauded Morocco’s role in border control and efforts to stop illegal crossings and human trafficking.
In late 2025, the Spanish government agreed to fund a voluntary return program for undocumented migrants in Morocco.
Security cooperation also extends to joint patrols and intelligence sharing to disrupt smuggling networks and better monitor migration flows across the Mediterranean and Atlantic approaches to Europe.
