A migrant after hundreds of migrants storm the border between Morocco and Spain at Ceuta on February 18, 2017 (AFP Photo/FADEL SENNA)Madrid (AFP) - The Spanish outposts of Ceuta and Melilla in northern Morocco, which have the European Union's only land borders with Africa, are tempting launch pads for clandestine immigration to continental Europe. - Reinforced borders -Ceuta, a former Roman colony of 85,000 people, measures about 18 square kilometres (seven square miles) and lies just across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain. Melilla, measuring about 200 square kilometres, is perched on the eastern edge of Morocco's Mediterranean coast, and has been under Spanish control since 1497. Thousands of migrants have attempted to cross the 12-kilometre (7.5 mile) frontier between Melilla and Morocco, or the eight-kilometre border at Ceuta, by climbing the border fences, swimming along the coast or hiding in vehicles. On January 1 more than 1,000 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa tried to scale the fence at Ceuta during a violent assault in which one officer lost an eye.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 20, 2017 16:27 UTC