At least 18 dead in attempts to cross the border between Morocco and Melilla

Migrants tried to cross the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla on June 24, 2022. AP - Javier Bernardo

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At least 18 people died this Friday, June 24 at the gates of Europe.

2,000 migrants attempted in the early hours of the morning to cross the boundary wall between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla.

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With our correspondent in Madrid

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According to a Moroccan political source, the victims were killed, either in a stampede or by falling from the high wall they were trying to climb.

This massive entry attempt into one of the two Spanish enclaves is the first since the normalization of relations between Madrid and Rabat in mid-March, after a diplomatic quarrel lasting nearly a year.

►Also read: Thousands of migrants try to enter the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco

As a general rule, those who try to reach Spain, and therefore Europe,

the Spanish enclave of Melilla, bordering Morocco, do so by trying to climb the fence.

A fence 6 meters high, very wide and bristling with barbed wire everywhere.

This makes the attempt very difficult and dangerous.

Collaboration between Morocco and Spain

This time, an unprecedented case, the migrants surprised the police by shearing off one of the mesh doors that leads to Melilla before reaching the detention center.

The Civil Guards assured that this attempt was carried out in a very thoughtful, determined and violent way, despite the use of helicopters.

According to Spanish sources, many more migrants could have passed if the coordination and collaboration with the Moroccan forces had not been excellent, the Moroccan gendarmes having indeed been able to stop most of the candidates for forced passage.

The reason ?

The excellent relations between Madrid and Rabat which can be explained by the fact that President Pedro Sanchez supports King Mohamed VI regarding his

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• Morocco

• Spain

• International Migrations