Morocco Pushes Spain to Land Migrant Deportation Flights in Disputed Western Sahara

By imposing the Gran Canaria-Laâyoune route, Morocco is indirectly leading Spain to recognize its sovereignty over the Sahara, says EFE, which recalls that the issue is even at the heart of the current crisis between the two countries. Morocco does not miss any opportunity to invite European countries, especially Spain, to "get out of their comfort zone and follow the dynamics of the United States" which have officially recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.

Last week, Moroccans from the Rif boarded a special Royal Air Maroc (RAM) flight to Laâyoune, after being transferred by plane from the Murcia migrant detention center to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Yet it would have been simpler to deport them on a flight from Madrid to Casablanca, Tangier or even Nador, destinations closer to their home in Al Hoceima.

According to EFE, Morocco has decided that the deportation flights will land in Laâyoune, four times a week, with about twenty Moroccan migrants on board. Exceptionally, other Moroccans who wish to return to the country after several weeks of waiting in the detention center are also authorized on these flights.

According to figures from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, 11,998 Moroccans illegally arrived in the Canary Islands in 2020.