Rabat – Local authorities in Nador confirmed yesterday night that 18 migrants died during the latest mass attempt to cross into the Spanish enclave Melilla from Morocco.
Quoting Nador authorities, Morocco’s Press Agency (MAP) said that 13 of the irregular migrants who were injured during the border crossing attempts on Friday were pronounced dead later on the same day, pushing the death toll up to 18.
The same sources assured that no deaths were recorded among Moroccan forces.
On Friday, roughly 2,000 migrants attempted to jump the fence that separates the Spanish enclave from the Moroccan city of Nador at around 8:40 a.m.
The Spanish media reported that 130 migrants managed to cross into Melilla.
Local media El Faro de Melilla described the attempt as “organized” as migrants “carried backpacks loaded with stones and hammers.”
Friday’s attempt came hours after a similar migration flow on Thursday that caused 116 injuries among security members.
The injured were admitted to Morocco’s Hassani Hospital in Nador for treatment. At least one of
them needed intensive care treatment due to their serious injuries, said the Spanish Press Agency (EFE).
Spanish authorities also reported that the border crossing attempt caused injuries to 57 migrants and 49 police officers, according to Reuters.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez commented on the attempt, highlighting the importance of relations between Rabat and Madrid in addressing irregular migration.
“I would like to thank the extraordinary cooperation we are having with the Kingdom of Morocco which demonstrates the need to have the best of relations,” Sanchez said.
In May, Spanish officials lauded Morocco’s “far-reaching efforts” against irregular migration during a high-level meeting in Rabat. Spain further cited the “tangible results” reached by Morocco on the irregular migration dossier.
However, the joint Moroccan-Spanish efforts to crack down on irregular migration were not fully welcomed by local human rights watchdogs such as AMDH Nador, said Reuters.
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