Morocco and Spain have strengthened their cooperation in addressing unauthorized migration following the settlement of a separate diplomatic feud in 2022.

Last year, Spain and Morocco entered into a migration cooperation agreement. Additionally, the EU has provided Morocco with substantial financial support in recent years to assist in addressing migration challenges.

In 2023, Morocco stopped 75,184 people from entering Europe, up 6% compared to a year earlier, the country's interior ministry said on Tuesday (January 23).

The figures reflected "the resilience of border and coast surveillance apparatus," the Moroccan interior ministry told Reuters.

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.

Last year, there were six group attempts to cross into Ceuta and Melilla, involving more than 1,400 migrants, down 62% compared to 2022, the ministry said.

In 2022, Morocco said 23 migrants died during an attempted mass crossing into Melilla, in an incident that outraged rights groups.

Also read: Morocco's mounting role as EU-migration gatekeeper

Deaths at sea

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, Ousman Ba, a Senegalese national who runs a migrant community charity in Nador, near Melilla, told Reuters.

The Moroccan navy rescued 16,818 people at sea in 2023, up 35% compared to a year earlier, the interior ministry said. Morocco has also busted 419 migrant trafficking networks, up 44% from a year earlier, it said.

However, not all of the arrivals depart from Morocco, with many small or inflatable boats embarking from the west coast of Africa, where increasing political and economic instability is pushing people to risk the dangerous journey.

Last year, a total of 6,618 migrants, equivalent to 18 people a day, died in 2023 trying to reach Spanish shores, most of them (6,007) on the Atlantic route. The number of deaths amount to more than double that of the previous year.

Also read: 'Hot returns': Are pushbacks at Europe's land borders lawful?

Child migrants

Despite a decrease in mass crossings into Spain from Morocco's borders, there have been legal consequences for past practices regarding returns to the North African country, especially of minors.

Earlier this month, Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that the decision in May 2021 to send back dozens of unaccompanied child migrants from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta to Morocco was illegal. Hundreds of unaccompanied children were among those sent back, many of them were believed to be originally from sub-Saharan African countries.

Spanish law stipulates that each minor is entitled to an "individual administrative procedure" before any potential deportation, according to the court's ruling.

The court ruled that the expulsion of minors violated the European Convention on Human Rights due to the risk of physical or mental harm to the children. Spain had argued for the expulsion based on a 2007 agreement with Morocco, citing "exceptional circumstances" due to a surge in arrivals.

However, international law mandates Spain to care for young migrants until they reach 18. The number of arrivals in Ceuta and Melilla, has decreased since mass crossings, with 20 migrants entering Melilla and 19 into Ceuta this year, while over 3,000 arrived in the Spanish Canary Islands.

Also read: Spain: Top court rules deportation of child migrants 'illegal'

With Reuters