Rabat – Following the Melilla tragedy, which claimed the lives of at least 23 African migrants who tried to enter the Spanish enclave in Morocco on June 24, the United Nations Security Council met on Wednesday to discuss the event. They failed, however, to reach an agreement.
Kenya, the Council’s non-permanent member that convened the session, published a draft statement condemning the suffering of African migrants along the Mediterranean coast and urging Morocco and Spain to undertake an immediate and impartial investigation.
However, this statement, which has reportedly irritated the US in particular, has not been made public due to a lack of unanimity required for its release by the Council.
The African Security Council members – Ghana and Gabon, in addition to Kenya – have not demonstrated unanimity in their response to the Melilla tragedy, one of these diplomats told Agence France-Presse (AFP), a private French news agency.
The Security Council meeting began with a briefing from UN Under-Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilse Brands Kehres, a rather rare event in the Security Council, diplomats noted.
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When asked about his country’s position following the meeting, Kenya’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN Michael Kiboino declined to comment, assuring that discussions were continuing on his country’s draft declaration.
Kiboino stressed that the African migrants had been “subjected to horrific brutality by the security forces, as they sought to enter the Spanish enclave.”
The goal of this Security Council session, Kiboino argued, was to call for “humane treatment” of Africans and underline the need to “respond to the security needs of Africans who have fled war and insecurity in their countries.”
“The Security Council and its members are very concerned about the fate of refugees from other conflicts,” the Kenyan diplomat continued, citing Ukraine.
“We believe that Africans fleeing wars and insecurity in their countries deserve the same respect,” he underlined.
