Dozens of African migrants are reported to have died at Melilla, the borderland between Morocco and Spain, on Friday June 24
It is alleged that 47 people were killed in the incident that has shocked the world and sparked lots of reactions on social media.
The number of the migrants who lost their lives could be even more judging from a video that has widely circulated on social media. Hundreds others were taken to hospital in serious conditions.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the migrants, who were seeking asylum, were mostly from Chad, Niger, Sudan and South Sudan.
About 2000 migrants were attempting to cross the militarized fence to Spain when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Some are said to have died directly from the beatings they received from police officers whereby they were stoned and beaten with batons.
Others died due to suffocation and crashing that resulted from the stampede that was allegedly provoked by Moroccan police forces while others lost their lives after falling from the top of the fences estimated to be of 6 meters and 10 meters high.
The video taken from the massacre scene shows lots of lifeless bodies scattered on the ground. Those alive are ruthlessly beaten by armed officers as they get bundled together.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called these refugees a threat to Spain’s “territorial integrity”. What about the integrity of Africa — plundered, carved up for profit and now weaponised to keep the poor and hungry far from Europe’s borders? pic.twitter.com/nDkwZ2E8cZ
— Paweł Wargan (@pawelwargan) June 27, 2022
Border officers are also said to have been digging mass graves so as to bury the victims, a move that has been seen as an attempt to conceal the exact number of those killed.
Sources reveal that the Moroccan and Spanish forces worked jointly to deal with the migrants by unleashing teargas towards them and charging at them with batons.
Moroccan police officers went for those who had crossed to Spain, arrested and forcefully returned them to the African soil.
Javier Bernado, a photojournalist working at Melilla gave an account of the events that unfolded on the fateful day.
“Migrants who managed to cross were surrounded by the Police and the Civil Guard, who pushed them towards the Moroccan side. Some managed to break free and run further into Melilla. … I was surprised when I saw green helmets of the Moroccan forces on the Spanish side of the fence. The Spanish agents were in trouble, there were many people in a very narrow place. I was surprised to see Moroccan policemen on Spanish soil detaining, assaulting and returning migrants. It’s the first time I’ve seen this in four years working in Melilla,” he narrated.
The African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat has since called for an immediate investigation
“I express my deep shock and concern at the violent and degrading treatment of African migrants attempting to cross an international border from #Morocco into #Spain, with the ensuing violence leading to the deaths of at least 23 people and injuries to many more,” Mahamat said on Twitter.
“I call for an immediate investigation into the matter and remind all countries of their obligations under international law to treat all migrants with dignity and to prioritize their safety and human rights, while refraining from the use of excessive force,” he added.
Several Non Governmental Organizations such as Uhuru Valencia have condemned the incident and advocated an investigation into the matter.
Sadly, it has been reported that the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez commended the Moroccan and Spanish forces on how they handled the migrants, saying the mass migration attempt was “well resolved.”
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