Rabat – Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has once again pleaded in Morocco’s favor amid the ongoing, heated debate about last week’s tragedy in Melilla. The chief of the Spanish government urged today both Spain and the European Union to improve their migration policies and strengthen cooperation with countries of transit and origin, particularly Morocco, to help them tackle the irregular migration crisis.
“Morocco, as a country of transit, suffers from the problem of illegal migration, and we must help Moroccan authorities manage the mafias of human trafficking and control migration flow that arrives at Spanish borders,” said Sanchez.
He called for shared responsibility between countries of origin, transit, and destination to mitigate the consequences of illegal migration, calling on Spain and the EU “to give an all-inclusive response to a complex phenomenon.”
Spain’s PM made the statements today during his appearance on the Spanish program “Hoy por Hoy” on Cadena Ser radio, days after dozens of migrants died in a tragic mass crossing attempt at the Spain-Morocco border.
On Friday last week, around 2,000 irregular migrants attempted to cross into the Spanish enclave of Melilla from the Moroccan city of Nador, resulting in violent clashes with security services. Local authorities in Nador confirmed that 23 migrants have to date died as a result of the clashes.
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Sanchez blamed the casualties on the “human trafficking mafias, who have carried out violent attacks, as shown by the images circulating on the web and social networks.”
“The drama of irregular migration policy is complex,” Sanchez highlighted, saying there is an urgent need to approach this phenomenon from a “transverse global perspective.”
“It is important to be empathetic and put yourself in everyone’s shoes,” Spain’s PM said, regretting the loss of lives in the Meliila tragedy and extending his condolences to the families of the victims.
“But we should also put ourselves in the shoes of Moroccan and Spanish security forces” who have sustained serious injuries during the clashes with migrants, Sanchez added. “We need to defend the rights of our compatriots in Melilla and Ceuta to be able to live in peace.”
Sanchez recalled that in the past 12 months, “at least eight violent attacks, organized by mafias, have been attempted on the autonomous city of Melilla, with armed people, using hooks, sticks, knives, and axes.”
Following the Melilla tragic events, Spain and Morocco received heated accusations of mismanagement from several activists and advocacy groups.
Meanwhile, a number of African diplomats have spoken in support of Morocco’s migration management policy, describing it as humanitarian and effective.
