Migrant?s Gibraltar Straight bid foiled by Morocco

Last Friday, authorities in Tangiers said that Morocco’s navy prevented a group of 40 migrants on makeshift boats from illegally crossing the Strait of Gibraltar on their way to Spain.

MAP new agency said that according to officials in Tangiers, this group of illegal migrants were of sub-Saharan origin. They added that the migrants, who were found safe and well, were about to travel on inflatable boats, with one of them having an engine.

Only a couple of days before this group was discovered, another group of 19 were found trying to cross on inflatable boats and that on 2nd May, 48 illegal migrants were intercepted.

There are less attempts to try and cross the Straits of Gibraltar than between Libya and Italy.

On the same day this recent group of migrants were discovered, 200 migrants were found by the German navy trying to cross 155 miles south of Italy’s Lampedusa Island.

According to Spanish Authorities, some 3,500 migrants sailing on makeshift vessels were rescued last year, which was an increase of 55 per cent when compared with the figures from 2013.

Over the past year and a half, 5,000 migrants have died in an attempt to reach European shores.

Illegal settlements found on Melilla, a Spanish enclave, were recently dismantled by Morocco. This enclave, along with Ceuta, form the only land between Africa and Europe.