Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 11: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on reports that African refugees and immigrants were driven into the Sahara desert to their deaths by Moroccan authorities in mid-October 2005, especially in the wake of attempts by thousands of African refugees and immigrants to cross barrier fences into Spanish held EU territory (details supplied). [33501/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Efforts by illegal migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to transit through Morocco in order to enter Spanish territory have been a growing problem for Spain and Morocco, and for the EU in general, in recent years. This situation poses significant difficulties for the States involved. Of equal concern are the serious risks to which the migrants expose themselves, as the method most often used has been by sea, on flimsy homemade rafts. As efforts have increased to tackle this problem larger numbers have tried to reach Spanish territory by travelling overland. Spain, and its partners in the EU, have been assisting and co-operating with the Moroccan authorities in an effort to tackle this serious illegal immigration issue.

At the beginning of October this year, a very large number of people who had travelled to Morocco made concerted efforts to enter the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla, seeking to overwhelm the frontier barriers rather than infiltrate them. The change in the tactics used, and the large numbers of people involved, created considerable difficulties for the Spanish and Moroccan authorities, who were not prepared for action on the scale experienced. In night-time clashes between the migrants and security forces from both countries, some 16 people were killed, and others wounded. The Moroccan authorities have investigated these tragic events. They have accepted that Moroccan security forces were responsible for some of the deaths, and the Moroccan Government has expressed its deep regret for the loss of life.

I am aware of the reports to which the Deputy refers, that one group of some 500 of these migrants was transported to a desert area close to the Algerian border, without adequate arrangements for food, water and transport, and on the assumption that they would make their own way across the border into Algeria. The issue has been highlighted by several NGOs and was widely reported in the media. The Moroccan Government has undertaken to investigate the situation fully and to take whatever action is necessary in response to the details of the investigation. It has admitted that mistakes were made in the management of the problem, and has asked that they not be exploited for political reasons. My understanding is that the group of people involved were moved to a transit camp. While their exact status is not yet clear, it seems likely that some or all may have been among a large number of migrants flown back by the Moroccan authorities to their countries of origin in sub-Saharan Africa in recent weeks.

While the EU is working to improve co-operation with Morocco in order to reduce the flow of illegal migrants, it is clearly essential that any measures taken must respect fully the human rights and dignity of the individuals concerned. Morocco is in full agreement with this position. It is obviously unacceptable that persons may have been left in the desert without adequate facilities, for whatever reason.

It is right that failures of this kind should be highlighted and corrected. However, I believe it is only fair to acknowledge the pressure on the Moroccan authorities created by a problem which is not of their own making. It is estimated that there are some 10,000 migrants in Morocco, attempting to reach Spanish territory, and a further 20,000 in Algeria seeking to reach Morocco for the same purpose. Similar problems exist in other countries across North Africa.