Morocco: Sudanese top list of 23,615 refugees and asylum seekers, MMC says

The number of refugees and asylum seekers in the Kingdom stood at around 23,615 as of July, with Sudanese nationals forming the largest group, according to the third-quarter update of the Mixed Migration Centre (MMC), part of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC).

More than 10,500 of that total are recognised refugees, while over 13,000 are asylum seekers. Together they come from more than 60 nationalities.

Sudanese nationals rank first, at around 20% of the total, followed by Syrians at 22%. Guineans make up 9%, Ivorians 7%, and nationals of the Central African Republic around 6%.

Across the wider region, the MMC said migration routes “have become deadlier, despite falling arrivals to Europe.” By the end of September, the Central Mediterranean route had recorded more than 1,000 refugees and migrants dead or missing, the highest toll of any regional route. Over the same period, the Western Mediterranean route recorded 456 such cases, and the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands recorded 451.

Irregular arrivals in Italy dropped 55% year on year, the report found. Departures from Libya fell by about 60%, and departures from Tunisia by about 46%. Departures from Algeria moved in the opposite direction, rising 154% annually and 48% from the previous quarter.

The update also points to continued efforts by Moroccan authorities to bring home Moroccan nationals detained in Libya, including groups returned from Misrata and eastern Tripoli in July. The centre noted the difficulty of establishing the full number of detainees or missing people in areas outside official control.