The Melilla Enclave and the Melilla Massacre of June 24, 2022
The Spanish Melilla Enclave on the north African coast is surrounded by Morocco and limited on the other side by the Mediterranean Sea. Like Ceuta, it is the only other EU territory bordering Africa. As such, this city is a critical spot for people attempting to cross into Spain. For one, this route doesn’t entail braving the perilous Mediterranean Sea.
Morocco, accused of operating a “grey zone” strategy to establish control over both Ceuta and Melilla, is believed to repeatedly pressure Spain by facilitating the arrival of thousands of migrants to these localities. Most notably, Morocco allowed 6,000 migrants to cross into Ceuta as retribution for granting medical treatment to a member of the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi Independence Movement opposing Morocco’s’ occupation in Western Sahara.
Large groups of people have been attempting to scale over the Melilla border fences to seek asylum since 2005. People face grievous injuries and death from drops up to two stories in height and the added presence of heavy rows of razor wire and guards.
In the last couple of years, Melilla has witnessed increased crossings. In March 2022, 871 migrants managed to enter Melilla within 48 hours, compared to 1,092 for the whole of 2021.
According to experts, the militarization of the area and the construction of new border fences are not adequate solutions to reduce the number of crossing attempts. Reducing the main causes of migration and displacement in the countries of origin is. These include Mali, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Syria to the East, and Morocco itself. All these experience either conflict, persecution of minorities and dissidents, economic crises, as well as climate and natural disasters.
The lack of stability in the region and of international aid, as well as the obstruction of legal asylum claims, ultimately perpetuate and encourage the risks vulnerable populations face when crossing by water routes, such as through the Canary Islands.
The Melilla Massacre and the Deathly Consequences of Border Force
Quickly referred to as the Melilla Massacre, the events on 24 June 2022 that led to hundreds of injured and 23 confirmed casualties are a testament to the excessively violent methods used on migrants at borders. It is also a damning reflection of the blatant denial to implement safeguards and grant vital assistance to those who need it on the part of state authorities.
On the day of the tragedy, around 1,700 migrants attempted to cross the border between the Moroccan city of Nador and Melilla, Spain’s North-African enclave and Africa’s only land border with the EU. What followed was a brutal response from both the Spanish border police and the Moroccan gendarmerie.
The simultaneous use of tear gas, rubber bullets, batons, and smoke guns caused many to fall from the two-story high border fence. Other suffered from a deadly stampede as they tried to flee the violence and still manage to cross the border.
Reports also reveal the entrance of Moroccan military elements into Spanish territory to forcefully return those migrants who had been successful in crossing, effectively interfering with their right to claim asylum.
While the States’ response might mistakenly seem justified, the fact of the matter remains: Spain is bounded to fulfil its international obligations, abiding by the humanitarian due processes to which those seeking asylum have a right.
Nuria Diaz, Advocacy coordinator for ECRE*, stated that
“It is important to remember that while all states have the right to control their borders, this must be done in full compliance with international human rights including access to asylum, the respect of non-refoulement principle, the human treatment of every individual, and the observance of procedural safeguards in case of expulsion”.
Despite the damning evidence against the Spanish border authorities and the scale of the tragedy, the criminal case was dismissed on 23 December 2022. This came less than a month after the Socialist Party (PSOE) and the right-wing People’s Party (PP) had blocked a parliamentary inquiry into the incident. The “Left Populist” Podemos Party soon joined them following the release of a joint investigation by EL PAÍS and Lighthouse Reports.
This massive collaboration analysed over 140 videos and 40 interviews to meticulously create a 3D reconstruction of the border area as the events unfolded. The investigation reveals Moroccan authorities confirming the death of at least one migrant inside Spanish territory, contradicting the Spanish government’s denial of any deaths occurring on their side.
*European Council for Refugees and Exiles
Sources:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/14702436.2022.2159815?needAccess=true&role=button
https://books.openedition.org/obp/4562?lang=es
https://www.lighthousereports.nl/investigation/reconstructing-the-melilla-massacre/
This is a repost of two previous articles
