Spain requests Morocco to deny boarding to Senegalese citizens lacking Schengen visas

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made a request to the Moroccan authorities to prevent Senegalese passport holders without Schengen visas from boarding flights with layovers in Spain until February 19. This comes ahead of the implementation of a transit visa requirement for Senegalese nationals.

The request was made through a diplomatic note sent by the Spanish Embassy in Rabbat to the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Residing Abroad. The Spanish Embassy emphasized the need to temporarily prevent boarding for Senegalese passport holders without Schengen visas stamped within the past two years on flights destined for third countries that are not part of the Schengen Area and involve airport transit in Spain.

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The Spanish authorities have also asked the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to maintain these measures until February 19, when Senegalese nationals will require transit visas to pass through Spain en route to their destination country.

The decision to introduce transit visas for Senegalese nationals comes after a surge in the number of Senegalese passport holders seeking asylum in Spain, especially with layovers in the country. This has led to overcrowding at the Madrid airport and an increase in the number of asylum seekers.

The Spanish Commission for Refugees (CEAR) has described the current situation as “unsustainable”, with reports of asylum seekers having to sleep on cardboard on the floor in the airport’s transit area. Spanish authorities have requested that Royal Air Maroc be informed about such travelers, and have categorized their daily flights to Barajas Airport as a “hot route”.

The situation has led to an increase in the number of asylum applications in Spain, with a 37% increase compared to the previous year. In response, the Office of Asylum and Refuge (OAR) of the Ministry of the Interior has reported the highest number of international protection applications since its creation in 1992.