Illegal migration plan approved
2006-06-07 12:03
Dakar - Senior European and African officials on Tuesday approved of a draft action plan to tackle the crisis over the growing number of illegal immigrants making dangerous journeys from Africa to enter Europe.
A diplomat said that before being implemented, the plan combining both repressive and preventive measures must be formally adopted at the ministerial level during a meeting slated for July 10 and 11 in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
The project, initiated by Spain and Morocco with the backing of France, said that "it is important to undertake swift and concrete actions... to respond to this urgent situation".
200 illegal immigrants off to Spain
Spain, geographically the closest European country to Africa, had seen a recent influx of illegal immigration from Africa to its Canary Islands, reporting a record 9 000 would-be migrants this year alone, more than double last year's total arrivals.
On Tuesday, Spanish maritime authorities reported a boat carrying about 200 illegal immigrants off its southern coast, reaching Spain through the Strait of Gibraltar.
The plan stated: "Only a pragmatic and ambitious action plan, commensurate to the scope reached by the migration problem can bring about the appropriate response."
Risks of illegal immigration
Planned measures included strengthening border controls, repatriating clandestine migrants and economic measures aimed at preventing the exodus of Africans from the continent.
Scores of officials from the European Union and African countries as well as representatives of international migration and funding agencies took part in the talks initially scheduled to last two days, but completed within the day in the Senegalese capital.
The scheme also proposed information campaigns aimed at sensitising potential migrants on the risks of illegal immigration.
Spain increases aid to Africa
Senegalese interior minister Ousmane Ngom said that "our major concern is to set for the populations of our countries, programmes that are favourable to their blooming".
At round-table discussions with African countries last month, Spanish officials reiterated Madrid's promise to substantially increase aid to Africa to help prevent illegal emigration.
Ngom said that migration can't be eradicated as it "remains an engine of history" which had some "immense advantages".
Because of its proximity to Spain, Morocco had been the traditional gateway for illegal emigration from Africa.
But, stepped-up coast guard surveillance in northern Morocco, the Strait of Gibraltar and the northern Canaries had forced gangs smuggling immigrants to Europe to seek out new, longer and more treacherous routes from points further south, such as Mauritania and Senegal.
- AFP