ARCHIVED - Twenty Guardia Civil officers injured in Melilla as 150 migrants storm the border
The borders of Ceuta and Melilla have both been under pressure during the last few weeks
Large groups of African migrants try to jump the border fences or swim into the autonomous Spanish city of Melilla on a regular basis, and they tend to group together in the hope that at least a few will manage to slip through by overwhelming any security forces on duty at the time.
One hundred and fifty African migrants tried to enter Melilla via the Dique Sur at around 5.15 am on Tuesday (15 June) but were pushed back by the Guardia Civil, the authorities have reported. The National Police provided support while the Moroccan security forces also collaborated and the Local Police closed the roads into the area.
Pronta recuperación a los compañeros heridos de @guardiacivil y @policia , heridos por el lanzamiento de piedras y el ataque con palos realizado por el grupo de 150 asaltantes de la frontera de #Melilla. pic.twitter.com/8nMbYVv74M
— unpolicialocalML (@unpolicialocal) June 15, 2021
Twenty Guardia Civil officers were wounded during the incident, as the migrants kept up a barrage of stone throwing during the failed attempt, but the majority of the injuries were minor, a government representative told the press.
Six officers were sent for further medical treatment and taken off-duty for the day following the incident; the remaining injuries were treated in-situ and were minor.
The Government Delegation to Melilla reports that the majority of the assailants were Sub-saharans, but there were also Moroccans amongst the group.
The Spanish Secretary of State for the European Union, Juan González-Barba, said last week that the Government is thinking of cancelling the special regime regarding Ceuta and Melilla that was drawn up when Spain entered the Schengen agreement, which would mean that Moroccans from the neighbouring regions of Tetouan and Nador would need visas to enter the cities and would place European border controls at the Moroccan border, rather than in the ports where they are now.
The news comes at a time when diplomatic relations between the two countries are terse, to say the least.
There have been various disagreements in recent months, which are believed to have led to the migrant crisis last month when around 10,000 Moroccans swam into Ceuta or climbed over the fence as the authorities on the other side were accused of turning a blind eye. Nine out of ten of the migrants have now been sent back to Morocco, but some have requested asylum while others are thought to still be hiding somewhere in the city.
Image: Jupol