As Morocco faces a defamation campaign following Friday’s mass migration attempt near the Spanish enclave of Melilla, Spain’sPrime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has strongly come out in support of the North African country’s approach to tackle irregular migration.
In an interview with the Spanish news outlet La Vanguardia, Sanchez described Morocco as a “strategic partner for Spain not only in terms of controlling illegal immigration, but also in being an important ally for Spain in the fight against terrorism.”
Backing Morocco’s intervention in the Melilla events, the Spanish PM said Morocco has been suffering in addition to fighting “violent actions of migrants.” He also notably blamed the Melilla incidents on human trafficking networks and other transnational mafias who he said have turned migrants’ desperation and suffering into a money-making business.
While regretting the loss of lives during the latest mass migration attempt at the border between Morocco and Melilla, Sanchez also expressed satisfaction with and gratitude to Morocco’s security response to migrants’ muscular attempt to cross into Melilla.
He described would-be-irregular migrants who died during the Melilla clashes with security services as desperate people who were “looking for a better life and who are the victims and instruments of the mafias and criminals who organize violent actions.”
The latest reports from local authorities indicate that 23 people died during the mass migration attempt between Melilla and Nador, a city in Morocco’s Oriental region.
The incident saw over 2,000 migrants who attempted to force their way to the Spanish enclave, while only over a hundred were able to access the targeted site.
Videos of the clashes show migrants throwing stones and sharp objects to the Moroccan and Spanish border police. About 147 police officers were injured during the clashes, according to official estimates.
As local authorities continue to explore the scale and consequences of the Melilla crisis in terms of serious injuries and loss of human life, activists and advocacy groups in both Morocco and Spain have been calling for an independent and comprehensive investigation into the case.
While some critics have been quick to hold Morocco accountable for the tragic incidents, the North African country has also received much-needed support from a number of African diplomats who have highlighted the effectiveness and humanitarian basis of its policy of migration management.
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