Friday was another tragic day in the Mediterranean as the bodies of African migrants lay injured or deceased, piled up and shackled on the ground at a location on bordering Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla. At least 37 people have been reported dead with dozens of others injured in the latest attempt to jump the #Melilla fence.
The North African Spanish territories of Melilla and Ceuta’s militarized borders have gained notoriety as part of the migration controls the EU has put in place to restrict a surge in migrants from conflict Mali, Guinea, Cote D’Ivoire, and most recently the Sudans.
The Melilla is one of two autonomous cities of Spain, located in North Africa bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It is reported about 2,000 people approached Melilla at dawn on Friday and more than 500 managed to enter a border control area. The mob comprised of people from Sudan who have spent months trekking through Libya, Niger, Algeria, and then Morocco before attempting to cross into the Spanish territory leading to the Mediterranean.
Videos circulating online show Spanish and Moroccan Police opening fire on a migrant mob attempting to cross into Spanish territory in North Africa. In the video, dozens of people being accused of trying to cross into Spain are shown injured or deceased, piled up and shackled. Human rights organizations accused the security forces of using indiscriminate force at the crossing, and have called for an investigation into the deaths.
Journalist like Helena Maleno Garzon has reported that African migrants are dying because of corruption and officials who are benefiting from what has become a business. “European companies make migration control profitable. The fact that refugees have to embark on such dangerous routes to reach the EU is partly due to the militarized borders that exist in places like Mellila and Ceuta” reports Garzon.
