Following the attempted entry on Friday of some 2,000 migrants into Melilla, Morocco has decided to further strengthen its military presence on the borders with Algeria. Algerian criminal networks would be behind a "lucrative trafficking with the complicit silence of the Algerian authorities".
Moroccan security forces agents would have crossed the Melilla fence to strike and arrest several migrants who managed to enter the autonomous city last Friday.
Amar Belani, special envoy in charge of the Western Sahara issue and the Maghreb countries at the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accuses Morocco of being responsible for the Melilla drama and calls for an independent and transparent investigation. While nearly 2,000 undocumented migrants of African origin tried to enter the Spanish enclave on Friday, June 24, 37 of them died in clashes with Moroccan security forces.
Morocco plans to bury the sub-Saharan migrants who lost their lives in the assault on the Melilla border at the Sidi Salem cemetery, on the outskirts of Nador. Several graves have been dug there on Sunday.
The death of at least 37 migrants during a massive attempt to enter Melilla continues to provoke reactions. The Spanish party Podemos has pointed the finger at Morocco and demanded an "immediate and independent" investigation by the European Union to determine responsibilities.
Ciudadanos European MP Jordi Cañas has denounced Morocco before the European Commission for having closed the Melilla commercial customs office in Beni-Ensar for more than 2 years.
The migrants who tried to enter Melilla illegally from Nador on Friday showed extreme violence against the Moroccan security forces blocking their way.
A few hours after the attempted intrusion organized by thousands of illegal migrants in Melilla at the level of Nador, the local authorities provided more details on this attack that caused deaths and several injuries.
A few hours after the assault of sub-Saharan migrants at the border of Melilla with Morocco, several media outlets have posted on social networks videos showing piles of migrants’ bodies on the ground. These images have sparked a wave of outrage from Internet users.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) of Nador has announced the death of two Moroccan police officers during the recent assault of migrants at the Melilla border.
As part of Operation Marhaba 2022, the Spanish police have reinforced their staff in Melilla, particularly at the Beni-Ensar border, to ensure the safety of both Moroccans in Europe transiting through the city and citizens.
Around a hundred Moroccan agents were injured on Saturday in preventing some 700 migrants from jumping over the Melilla fence.