Morocco’s naval forces rescued 242 migrants from several inflatable boats in the Mediterranean, including 50 women and 12 children, DW reported referring to the state news agency MAP.

Boats with migrants from sub-Saharan Africa crashed in the waters off the Spanish coast, in the Strait of Gibraltar. The refugees were transported to the port of Morocco.

The government of Spain in February 2019 concluded a deal with Morocco on the partial return of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean. Until that time, all refugees had requested assistance from the Spanish rescue service, while still in the zone of responsibility of the Royal Coast Guard of Morocco in the Strait of Gibraltar or the Alboran Sea. After that, the migrants were taken to Spain, from where they then went to France, Germany and the states of northern Europe.

According to the deal, Spain still provides assistance in the Moroccan area of responsibility, but there are Moroccan border guards, and the refugees are redirected to the nearest Moroccan ports, from where they repatriate to African countries.

According to the EU Border Service Frontex, only in June 2,350 migrants arrived in Spain across the Mediterranean Sea in June, which is twice as much as a month earlier. In total, since January of this year, their number exceeded 10,300 people, which is almost a third less than the same period of the previous year. Most people come from Morocco, Mali, Guinea, and Algeria. The influx of refugees into Spain is facilitated by tough immigration laws introduced last year by the populist government of Italy.