Eighteen people have died after a mass attempt to cross from Morocco into Spain’s enclave of Melilla. It was the first such mass incursion since Spain and Morocco mended diplomatic relations last month. Morocco had deployed a “large” number of forces to try to repel the assault on the border and they “cooperated actively” with Spain’s security forces, it said earlier in a statement. Images on Spanish media showed people lying on the pavement in Melilla, some with bloodied hands and torn clothes. Melilla and Ceuta, Spain’s other tiny north African enclave, have the EU’s only land borders with Africa, making them a magnet for migrants and refugees.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 25, 2022 09:45 UTC