HIBAPRESS – Abdellatif Baraka
In a special security operation, elements of the Royal Gendarmerie in the territorial center of Oulad Teima, belonging to the Taroudant brigade, raided on Saturday, April 11th, a house located in the municipality of El Kififate, which was used to house illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan African countries.
The operation, which took place under careful field supervision and security encirclement of the location, resulted in the arrest of approximately 30 illegal immigrants, who were using the house as a gathering point before attempting to immigrate to the other shore. According to consistent data, the owner of the house had previously rented his house to three people of African nationality under the pretext of temporary residence and looking for job opportunities in the agricultural field in the region, but these turned the place into something like a "collective shelter" to receive increasing numbers of illegal immigrants, in circumstances that raise more than a question mark about the coordination and organization networks. This operation falls within the context of the continuous efforts made by the security services in the various provinces of the Souss-Massa region, in order to confront irregular immigration networks, especially those that are active at the level of the Atlantic coast, which are used as a transit point towards the Canary Islands. These repeated security interventions confirm that the region has become one of the points that attracts attempts at illegal immigration, which requires tightening surveillance and intensifying proactive operations, in the face of networks that exploit the fragility of the social conditions of immigrants and push them towards dangerous paths. The detainees have been transferred to the competent authorities in order to complete the investigations under the supervision of the Public Prosecution, to uncover all the potential extensions of this operation, and to determine the responsibilities associated with it, whether at the level of accommodation or coordination with immigration networks. This incident highlights the security and humanitarian challenges posed by the phenomenon of irregular immigration, in light of the increasing pressure on traditional transit routes, and the continuation of attempts to find alternative outlets to Europe.
