The Royal Moroccan Navy intercepted a pirogue carrying 189 people attempting to migrate irregularly on Monday, February 23, 2026.

In an official announcement on Tuesday, the Royal Moroccan Navy said the pirogue was intercepted off the coast of Dakhla (South). The people who were on board the vessel, whose nationalities were not specified, intended to reach the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands, according to an official statement.

According to a statement from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, among those who were arrested from Sub-Saharan Africa, some sick people received first aid on board before being taken back to the Port of Dakhla.
The migrants were subsequently handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for the usual administrative procedures, the same source added.

Official figures revealed that nearly 80,000 migrants were prevented from reaching the European Union from Morocco during 2024, an increase of 4.6% compared to 2023.