Tinjdad, Morocco - The Moroccan Royal Navy saved eight migrants from sub-Saharan countries trying to illegally cross the Strait of Gibraltar toward western Spain.
The rescue operation took place near the coast of the occupied city of Ceuta after the Moroccan Royal Navy saw a boat heading toward Cadiz from the Moroccan coast.
All the immigrants on the boat have been rescued and were in good health. Moroccan authorities took them to the port of Tangier to take further action regarding their illegal immigration.
After the King of Morocco expressed concern about the miserable conditions of immigrants, the government launched in January an operation to give residency permits to tens of thousands of immigrants living in the country illegally.
Nearly all sub-Saharan Africans who managed to provide evidence that they had lived in Morocco for a considerable period of time were given permits.
Because of its proximity to Spain, Morocco has become one of the key smuggling routes for illegal migrants crossing into Europe from Africa.
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