Morocco remains a central hub in West African mobility, even as Moroccan departures decline and more Sub-Saharan nationals dominate Atlantic Route crossings, the UNHCR reports. The country plays a growing transit and host role, though major gaps persist in documentation, access to services and its still-limited asylum system. Morocco remains a pivotal actor in West African mobility, according to the UNHCR West Africa Atlantic Route Report (January–June 2025), which details how shifting regional dynamics, tighter border controls and ongoing national reforms are reshaping movement patterns toward Europe. Published on 2 December, the report confirms that Morocco continues to be «central to regional mobility as a country of origin, transit and destination», though its role today is driven more by regional pressures than by large-scale departures of Moroccan nationals. The West Africa Atlantic Route (WAAR), extending from West and North Africa to the Canary Islands, includes key departure hubs in Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal. The report notes that crossings follow a consistent seasonal rhythm, with higher numbers recorded between September and February, and lower numbers during the spring and summer months. Less Moroccans on the Atlantic Route Data collected by UNHCR between January and June 2025 reveals that some 11,400 people reached Spain via the Atlantic Route. Only 910 were Moroccan, while Malians accounted for 5,008 arrivals, Senegalese for 2,532 and Guineans for 1,229. Mauritania contributed 438 arrivals, followed by Côte d'Ivoire with 406 and The Gambia with 262. This marks a significant transformation from the late 2010s, when Moroccans represented nearly 70% of arrivals to the Canary Islands, especially in 2018. As the UNHCR report highlights, «the proportion of nationals from Sub-Saharan African countries grew sharply… while arrivals from Senegal, Guinea, and Morocco each declined slightly». Despite this shift, Morocco remains among the top seven countries of origin for arrivals and continues to host displaced people: around 130 refugees and asylum-seekers moved to Mauritania, Morocco and Senegal during the reporting period as «secondary countries of asylum», mainly from Mali and Sudan. The report explains this trend, stressing that in recent years, the Atlantic route has become a preferred alternative to Mediterranean passages for many Senegalese and Malian nationals, partly due to lower smuggling fees and more accessible networks. While Senegal and The Gambia continue to serve as overland crossroads, increasing numbers of people travel north through Mauritania toward Morocco, a trend reinforced by stricter mobility restrictions in Algeria. As UNHCR stresses, «the sea passage from Morocco is the shortest and least perilous of the different departure countries along the route», ensuring the country's strategic centrality even when overall departures fluctuate. Demographic pressures, regional instability and migration governance The report describes Morocco as a relatively stable transit and host country whose role is shaped by demographic pressures, regional instability and its own migration governance. It highlights that Morocco has strengthened international cooperation, maintaining an «open approach» to hosting refugees by improving documentation procedures, access to essential services and human-centred border management. Yet challenges persist: 45% of refugees and asylum-seekers lack valid documents, which severely limits access to services and undermines prospects for integration. Entry into Morocco's National Population Registry and Unified Social Registry often requires a residency permit, and some refugees report facing discriminatory refusals based on nationality. Access to services remains uneven. Refugees in Morocco can benefit from free primary healthcare and primary education, but secondary and tertiary schooling, as well as medication, remain expensive. Employment is permitted only for those holding residency permits, leaving many displaced people in precarious conditions. UNHCR notes that, although Morocco protects most documented refugees from removal, the country still lacks a fully functioning national asylum system. As a result, UNHCR remains responsible for pre-registration, refugee status determination and issuing protection documents. Despite these limitations, Morocco collaborates closely with UNHCR on Humanized Border Management, a framework aimed at improving reception conditions, strengthening protection mechanisms and ensuring identification and referral of trafficking victims.
