Morocco to Repatriate 12,600 Seasonal Workers from Spain as Borders Reopen

According to government sources, 12,600 Moroccan seasonal workers will be able to join the kingdom from June 15 by sea, reports El Pais. The sea crossings will be made from the port of Algeciras to the port of Tangier Med, the same source specifies. In total, three to four boats will be chartered each week.

To read:

This repatriation operation is exceptional in the sense that the Moroccan maritime borders remain closed to Spain. Only the ports of Sète and Marseille in France and that of Genoa in Italy are authorized as part of the gradual reopening of borders. The Spanish ports of Algeciras, Almería and Tarifa authorized "exceptionally" in 2020 have been excluded this year. At the origin of these tensions, the emergency admission of the Polisario leader, Brahim Ghali, under a false identity on April 18.

In total, 7,000 Moroccan seasonal workers had been repatriated last year as part of a similar operation.