After the attack on the Melilla exclave: serious allegations against security forces

At least 23 people have died in the recent attack on the Spanish exclave of Melilla. Human rights organizations sharply criticized the security forces. The Spanish government criticized the attempted border crossings.

The death toll has risen to at least 23 after mass panic among migrants en route to the Spanish exclave of Melilla. Non-governmental organizations even assume at least 37 dead. The Moroccan Ministry of the Interior had initially reported five fatalities.

140 security forces and 76 civilians are said to have been injured in the incident. Many of the victims are said to have been crushed to death or fallen from the fence, which is around six meters high.

Serious allegations against security authorities

Human rights organizations in Spain and Morocco have called for an investigation into the exact circumstances of the deaths and have leveled serious allegations at the security forces. The Moroccan authorities have used “unjustified violence” and “abused” migrants, Amin Abidar, head of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) in the city of Nador, told the dpa news agency.

Video footage circulated on social media appeared to show migrants on the ground, many motionless and some bleeding, while Moroccan security forces stood over them. “They were left without help for hours, increasing the death toll,” the organization said on Twitter. She called for a full investigation.

A recording shows a man in uniform hitting a man lying on the ground with a baton. The recordings were made by activists and sympathizers, Abidar explained.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration called on the security forces to give top priority to the safety of migrants and refugees, to refrain from excessive use of force and to respect human rights

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the attempted border crossings as an attack on the country’s territorial integrity. “If there is anyone who is responsible for everything that seems to have happened on this border, it is the trafficking mafia,” Sanchez said. “It was a violent raid organized by the human trafficking mafia.” Spanish authorities said 49 police officers suffered minor injuries.

More than 130 migrants cross border

A total of 133 migrants crossed the border between the Moroccan city of Nador and Melilla on Friday. According to Spanish sources, they had tried to reach EU territory. Most were stopped by Spanish police on one side and Moroccan security forces on the other side of the six meter high barrier.

Morocco became independent from France and Spain in 1956. Nevertheless, Spain continues to hold two exclaves there: Melilla and Ceuta, 250 kilometers further west on the Strait of Gibraltar. Nearby, tens of thousands of Africans, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, are often waiting for a chance, a chance to get into the EU.