At least 37 migrants died and hundreds were injured in a massive attempt to cross from Morocco to the autonomous Spanish city of Melilla, which is in North Africa. The attempt to cross the fence that separates Moroccan territory and Melilla began around 6 am on Friday (24), when about 2,000 people of sub-Saharan origin began to approach the border and were faced with extensive security. assembled by Morocco.
Despite the efforts of the agents, two hours later, about 500 sub-Saharans managed to reach the border fence and broke through an access gate with sticks, stones and bladed weapons. According to the government of the Spanish autonomous city, 133 of them managed to enter Melilla.
According to the Moroccan Human Rights Association, there were 27 deaths, while the NGO Caminhando Fronteiras says 37. “The numbers are not definitive and may continue to increase”, wrote on Twitter the president of Caminhando Fronteiras, Helena Maleno, without specifying the source of the information.
In the first bulletin on the case, which mentioned five dead migrants, Moroccan authorities said they had been trampled or fallen from a wall. Moroccan security sources indicated that some of those injured in the clashes, during an attempted forced passage, were treated because of problems related to the inhalation of tear gas.
On the Spanish side, according to authorities, 106 people were injured, specifically 49 Civil Guard officers and 57 immigrants, three of whom had to be taken to a hospital.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) highlighted, on Saturday (25), the need to prioritize the safety of people. The agencies called on the international community to expand access to safe alternatives to avoid dangerous attempts at passage and the risk of a repeat of tragedies. “These facts reinforce more than ever the importance of finding lasting solutions for displaced people,” the two organizations said in a joint statement.
The bishops responsible for the Subcommittee for Migration and Human Mobility of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (EEC) regretted what happened and asked the competent authorities to work to clarify the case.
“We need orderly migration through legal and secure channels, as well as development cooperation with countries suffering from war, conflict and famine. Externalization and militarization of borders alone will not end the root causes and problems. of the mobility of millions of migrants, refugees and displaced people around the world”, said the bishops, in a statement published on Saturday and reproduced by the portal Vatican News.
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