Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco Face Perilous Choices: Risky Border Crossings or Exploitative Jobs

Sub-Saharan Africans, in search of opportunities to cross the Morocco-Spain borders, both at the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and at the Port of Tangier-Med, live under the threat of being transferred to the South by the Moroccan authorities. Trying to evade the police, the sub-Saharan migrants have no choice but to hide in the surrounding forests.

This cat-and-mouse game does not last long, as Morocco has made considerable efforts to eradicate the camps of sub-Saharan immigrants and has banned the sale of inflatable boats. According to Reuters, this campaign has made it possible to intercept 30,000 attempts at illegal immigration and dismantle more than 60 networks.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of immigrants who have managed to reach the Spanish shore has more than halved, from 26,890 illegal immigrants in 2018 to 12,053 in 2019. In addition, a 3-meter high wall is in the process of being completed along the border with Ceuta.

Some sub-Saharan immigrants, on the other hand, choose to stay in Morocco, benefiting from the regularization campaign launched in 2013 by the country. More than 50,000 immigrants have obtained their residence permits.

Furthermore, Reuters reports the story of a 35-year-old Cameroonian immigrant, Sonya, who has abandoned the idea of going to Europe and has chosen to settle in Morocco. She has undertaken training with a Moroccan NGO in order to increase her chances of finding a job and enrolling her daughter in a Moroccan school. But Sonya’s case cannot be generalized, given the restrictions of the Moroccan labor market and the high unemployment rate.

The majority of sub-Saharan immigrants work in the informal sector, under often difficult, if not draconian, conditions and with derisory wages. Their employers take advantage of their precarious situation by imposing on them a frantic pace of work and a remuneration system that does not comply with any standard.