Pedro Sanchez considered that it was up to the Moroccan authorities to explain the migratory drama which played out on June 24 in the Spanish enclave of Melilla.
The question of the violation of human rights in the tragedy of Melilla, which claimed the lives of around thirty migrants on June 24, must be raised in Rabat, said the Spanish Prime Minister on Sunday in a daily interview “El País”.
Asked about the images of the tragedy that he said he had not seen during his last speech on Wednesday, on the subject, and about “respect for human rights in such a situation”, Pedro Sanchez affirmed that “it is the government of Morocco that should answer this question”. “We have to talk about what we are doing in Spain,” continued Pedro Sanchez.
However, he immediately qualified his remarks by saying “recognize the effort made by Morocco, which suffers from migratory pressure, to defend borders which are not it’s own but those of Spain” and evoking “solidarity” which, according to him, Spain and Europe must show vis-à-vis Morocco.
The body lying on the ground
On June 24, around 30 African migrants died in an attempt by around 2,000 people to force their way into the Spanish enclave of Melilla in Morocco. Footage released several hours later revealed acts of brutality, with bodies strewn on the ground, Moroccan police beatings, and Spanish security forces firing tear gas at men hanging from fences, according to the report. NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Melilla is, with the city of Ceuta, one of the two Spanish enclaves located on the northern coast of Morocco, the only land borders of the European Union with the African continent. For the Prime Minister, Melilla is “the last episode of a tragedy that began long before, several kilometers away”, speaking again of a violent attack, with “armed” men, and of an orchestrated event by the “mafias”, an argument that the Spanish government has never ceased to brandish since this affair.
“Thirty” deaths mentioned
The human toll of the tragedy is not yet officially known and for the moment, the authorities evoke “thirty” deaths, the heaviest ever recorded on the borders between Morocco and the two enclaves. It provoked international indignation, with in particular remarks of rare severity from the UN, as well as the opening of two investigations in Spain and an information mission in Morocco.
This new migration drama at the gates of the EU comes after Madrid and Rabat normalized their relations in mid-March following an almost year-long diplomatic quarrel over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
