New drama off the coast of Morocco. Five young Moroccans have died in a migrant shipwreck off the coast of Western Sahara, and the death toll could rise, a local human rights NGO said Tuesday.
"The shipwreck took place yesterday (Monday) near Dakhla (in Western Sahara) according to testimonies of survivors that have reached us," said Mohamed Zendour, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH).
"The death toll could rise"
"The boat, which had nearly sixty migrants, capsized not far from the coast because of the waves," Zendour said. "Some were able to swim to shore, others lost their lives. Five to our knowledge but the toll could rise as other migrants are missing," he added.
The victims were from the village of Tighassaline, an impoverished rural area in the Middle Atlas near the town of Khenifra. "The entire responsibility for this tragedy lies with elected officials and local authorities, and through them, with the Moroccan state," said Zendour, president of the AMDH branch in Khenifra, calling for an investigation and the arrest of smugglers throughout Morocco. It was not possible to obtain confirmation from the Moroccan authorities.
Increase in irregular migration
Attempts at irregular migration from the coast of north-west Africa and the coasts of Morocco and Western Sahara to Europe have been on the rise since early June. Late last week, six would-be immigrants drowned during an attempt to cross to Spain off Morocco's northern province of Nador, according to local authorities. About fifty survivors had been able to swim back to the coast.
According to the AMDH in Nador, the six migrants who died were Moroccans. The Moroccan navy announced that it had rescued nearly 900 irregular migrants during the period from 10 to 17 July, mostly of sub-Saharan origin. NGOs regularly report deadly shipwrecks - whose unofficial toll they say is in the dozens, if not hundreds, of deaths - in Moroccan, Spanish or international waters.
Moroccan authorities say they thwarted 26,000 irregular emigration attempts in the first five months of 2023.