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Rabat – Over 300 sub-saharan migrants attempted to cross the border of Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla today, August 20, which resulted in the death of one migrant and the injury of six people, three of them migrants.
Among the six injured are also three agents of the Spanish Civil Guard, according to Spanish Press Agency EFE, noting that 50 migrants managed to cross the border but faced arrest by security forces.
The Melilla border crossing attempt took place at 6 a.m., the Civil Guard revealed to the same source.
The deceased migrant fell off the border fence from a height of four meters.
The most recent attempt ranks first in the number of migrants attempting to cross the Moroccan border into Melilla.
On April 6, 260 sub-Saharan migrants attempted to cross the border, including 50 who managed to enter the Spanish territory.
A similar attempt took place on July 19, 2019, when 200 migrants tried to scale the border fence between Morocco and Melilla, including 50 who succeeded in crossing the Temporary Immigrant Stay Center (CETI).
The recurrent migration attempts led the Spanish government to advance cooperation with Moroccan authorities to control irregular migration.
On March 10, Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya stressed the importance of collaboration and a “comprehensive strategy” to curb the numbers of irregular migrants entering Europe via Spain, at the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Madrid.
“For Spain, the relationship with the southern shore of the Mediterranean is of paramount importance,” the minister began. ”Promoting integration and strengthening economic ties, including investment and trade with the Arab world” is vital for Spain, she added.
One strong aspect of Rabat-Madrid collaboration is in tackling undocumented migration, as well as terrorism.
Spanish newspaper El Pais wrote in October that Morocco had helped Spain reduce the number of irregular migrants by more than half during January-October 2019, compared to the same period the previous year.
