The Moroccan Northern Human Rights Observatory has raised serious concerns regarding the detention of nearly one hundred undocumented migrants of Sub-Saharan origin at a public educational facility in the village of Aliyin, located in the Rincón-Castillejos prefecture, near the Spanish North African city of Ceuta. This incident, which has drawn significant attention, reportedly involved the prolonged detention of these individuals over several days, as outlined in a statement from the human rights organization that emphasized the detention occurred "outside of any clear legal framework."
In its statement, the observatory detailed that the educational center was surrounded by personnel from the Royal Gendarmerie and Auxiliary Forces, who restricted the freedom of the detained individuals without issuing justified administrative orders. The migrants were denied fundamental legal guarantees, including the rights to communicate with others, appeal the detentions, and receive legal assistance. The observatory condemned what it deemed to be an "arbitrary detention outside the legal framework," calling for an "urgent, independent, and impartial investigation" to ascertain the circumstances surrounding these events.
The observatory further emphasized the importance of managing migration situations within the framework of respect for the rule of law, ensuring the dignity and fundamental rights of individuals, and steering clear of any security-based approaches that violate rights and freedoms. In light of the latest statistics from the Moroccan Ministry of Interior, Morocco reportedly prevented 73,640 attempts at irregular migration in 2025, reflecting a decrease of 6.3% from the 78,685 attempts documented in 2024. Additionally, over 300 networks facilitating illegal crossings, primarily towards Europe, were dismantled.
As reported by swissinfo.ch.
