A group of migrants gathered outside the UNHCR office in the capital city of Morocco, Rabat to protest on Thursday (June 30) as Moroccan authorities have begun prosecuting 65 migrants.
They were prosecuted for joining Friday’s mass attempt to cross into a Spanish enclave by storming a border post, leading to the death of at least 23 migrants, a judicial source said on Monday.
About 2,000 migrants took part in the attempt, triggering violent skirmishes with Moroccan security forces and Spanish border guards at the Melilla enclave, with about 100 managing to get across.
Moroccan authorities said the deaths resulted from a crush after what they called a stampede, and from migrants falling from a high fence. Scores more were injured, they said, along with dozens of Moroccan security personnel.
The Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) organisation said 29 migrants had died, citing unnamed hospital sources.
“We’ve lost many friends, many casualties, many injured. There are many friends who are missing. We are asking for our friends who have gone missing, and we want treatment for the injured. We want to be taken to a safe country, said Ammar Muhammed, an Eritrean migrant at the protest.
Anger over Melilla migrant deaths in Spain:
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