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Around 2,000 migrants have attempted to raid the border fence separating Melilla’s Spanish territory from the rest of the northern Morocco peninsula today, in the first attempt at mass crossings since repairing ties between the two countries two months ago.
Melilla and Ceuta, are the two North African territories under Spanish jurisdiction and consequently Africa’s only land border with the EU, which turns them into a magnet for immigrants.
In the attempt this morning, about 500 of them managed to cross to the other side of the “control area” after breaking the fences with cutting tools, said in a statement of the Spanish delegation.
Morocco has deployed a large military force to repel border attacks, which operate “in active cooperation” with the Spanish military, the statement added.
The images published in the Spanish media showed overworked immigrants lying in the streets of Melilla, some of them with bloodied hands and torn clothes.
Moroccan Hassani Hospital in Nador near Melilla confirmed that “several” police officers had been admitted for treatment.
In March Spain ended a one-year diplomatic crisis by backing Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Western Sahara regions.
The conflict erupted when Madrid admitted Western Sahara pro-independence leader Brahim Ghali for medical treatment in April 2021.
A month later about 10,000 migrants crossed the border entering Spanish territory Ceuta without being hindered by guards.
The repair of the connections has caused the number of migrants and crossing attempts to fall in both the land territories and the Canary Islands.
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