Brussels, 10/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - The king of Morocco has noted the criticism made of his country for the way it treats sub-Saharan migrants transiting through Moroccan territory. He has also accepted the fairly critical conclusions of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), while pointing out that Morocco must face the issue alone - an issue exacerbated by the “globalisation of migratory flows”. Morocco notes that it has become “subject to diversified migratory dynamics [and has] imperceptibly but irreversibly [become] a cosmopolitan country”.
A royal press release affirms that Mohamed VI “has taken note of the relevant recommendations of the CNDH and reiterated his conviction that the migratory issue, which is the subject of legitimate concerns and sometimes the subject of controversy, must be approached in a global and humanistic way, in accordance with international law and as part of renewed multilateral cooperation”. An implicit green light is thus given to a long list of recommendations, including respect of human rights in accordance with Morocco's constitution and its international commitments - for example, non-refoulement.
“Without contesting the principle of the right of the Moroccan authorities to control the entry and length of stay of foreigners and their duty to fight against human trafficking”, the report states that, “in accomplishing these missions, public authorities cannot withdraw from constitutional mechanisms or international commitments”. It also calls for review of “the figure, which is simplistic and widespread in the media, of the Sub-Saharan wandering on the roads, pressed into using public charity or regularly tackling, alone or in a group, the borders of the two Spanish enclaves”.
In reality, the authors of the report write, Morocco is subject to a “situation that is historically unrivalled” and has been forced act “in an ad hoc way, through successive initiatives - with no overarching vision or their being adapted to the new reality”. The main issue is the “globalisation” of the phenomenon: 240 million international migrants in 2012 (and 740 million domestically, in their area). The report underlines that “almost everywhere in the world, migration today is a subject of concern and constant debate, or even controversy, creating questions for public authorities, civil societies, researchers and international human rights mechanisms”.
The phenomenon can be quantified. It is “unequally divided with 97 million South-North migratory flows, the rest being made up of East-West migratory flows and, more rarely, West-East flows. These figures first highlight the globalisation of the flows (…) which means that today more and more countries are at the same time (…) countries of emigration, of transit and of immigration”. The worst is the existence of “cross-border diaspora and sophisticated networks specialising in human trafficking, the feminisation of the flows, the extension of migratory routes, the diversification of migrants' and refugees' profiles and the elevation of their socio-cultural levels”. And, as part of this, “Morocco is undeniably suffering the effects of Europe's drastic control policy at its external borders”.
The report concludes that, with EU support, a policy to control illegal emigration has been implemented. This has met “with real success, as shown by the figures and numerous statements of satisfaction from various European countries” (our translation throughout). (FB/transl.fl)