The Moroccan Navy has rescued 183 illegal sub-Saharan African migrants off the kingdom’s Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, official news agency, MAP, reported on Saturday.

The migrants, including 12 women and two minors, were intercepted in many operations between July 29 and August 1, the agency quoted a military source as saying.

They were travelling in several small flimsy boats, which were facing trouble in the Strait of Gibraltar that separates the African continent from Europe.

Morocco has become a hub for African migrants, who seek to reach Europe for a better life.

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In another development, Germany’s Economy Minister Peter Altmaier has called for tougher penalties for coronavirus rule breakers in view of rising infections in the country.

The minister disclosed this in an interview with DPA on Saturday.

“Anyone who deliberately endangers others must expect that this will have serious consequences for him.

“We must not jeopardise the recovery that is just beginning by accepting a further increase in infections,” he said.

The number of infections reported every day has been on the rise recently, a trend Lothar Wieler, who is Germany’s top official for disease control, described this week as “very worrying.”

Wieler attributed the climb in cases to parts of the general public having become negligent on hygiene and social distancing rules.

On Saturday, German government’s disease control agency reported 955 infections in the past 24 hours. On Friday, the number of new infections registered was 870.

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