Moroccan Probe Finds Melilla Migrants Likely Died of 'Suffocation'

JUL 14 2022·Updated DEC 26 2022

Story

Image credit: AP/picture-alliance [via Info Migrants]

The Facts

The state-backed National Human Rights Council of Morocco (CNDH) declared Wed. that at least 23 of 2k migrants, many from Sudan, that attempted to enter the Spanish enclave of Melilla in June likely "suffocated."
Al Jazeera
200 law enforcement officers and more than 70 civilians were reportedly injured, and, according to the rights group Caminando Fronteras, the migrant death toll could be as high as 37.
CGTN Africa
The bodies of the deceased haven't yet been buried and are still awaiting full autopsies. They will also be DNA tested to help discover their identities.
InfoMigrants
There has been controversy over the way authorities responded to the incident, with the UN, the African Union, and independent rights groups denouncing security personnel for use of excessive force.
MSN
June's death toll was the worst ever recorded in years of migrants' attempts to cross into the Spanish Ceuta and Melilla enclaves.
Al Jazeera
The enclaves have the EU's only land borders with Africa, which makes them popular routes for migrants trying to escape humanitarian issues such as hunger and poverty.
Al Jazeera

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

While the results were undeniably tragic, police were responding to a violent and mass attack on Spanish territory, instigated by human-trafficking mafias. This simply highlights the broader issue of a migration crisis, which poses a severe security threat to Spain and the rest of Europe.

CGTN Africa

Narrative B

Labelling Spain a victim of violent invaders is a convenient way to minimize this atrocity and escape responsibility. Spain, along with other EU nations, has made it a decade-long policy to keep migrants out by any means necessary. The real victims here are the refugees seeking asylum who have been violently turned away.