Following increased border control between Morocco and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, the Spanish government is remaining silent on alleged violations of international law, a source from the migration NGO No Name Kitchen told EURACTIV.
Ceuta and Melilla have become hotspots for passage into Europe by migrants and refugees as safe and legal routes into the bloc to claim asylum are now almost non-existent, said the NGO source, who asked to remain anonymous.
The tragedy of 24 June, in which approximately 40 people died trying to cross into Melilla, sharply underscored to the EU and international media the brutal treatment often faced by migrants at the hands of Spanish and Moroccan border authorities.
“The Spanish government is remaining silent on systematic violations of human rights and international law in Ceuta and Melilla,” the No Name Kitchen source told EURACTIV.
In March 2022, after a period of diplomatic turbulence, Spain and Morocco initiated a ‘new phase’ of refreshed relations – a move that broadly consisted of a quid-pro-quo deal: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez would back Morocco’s plans for Western Sahara, in exchange for a tightening of border control in Ceuta and Melilla by the Moroccan authorities.
Isaías Barrenada Bajo, professor of international relations at Universidad Complutense in Madrid, told EURACTIV an agreement on the management of Ceuta and Melilla was initiated to prevent Morocco from using “migrants as a weapon” against Spain.
One of the immediate consequences of the deal was the prevention of travel between Morocco and Ceuta and Melilla for some workers who are employed in the enclaves, No Name Kitchen stated in May.
Deaths at the Melilla border
“Of the 2,000 people who crossed the border, slightly more than a hundred are in Melilla now doing asylum procedures. Considering that around 40 people died, where are the rest? We do not know”, the anonymous source told EURACTIV, adding that “Morocco is doing the job that the EU is supposed to do”.
“Moroccan authorities entered in the Spanish territory, in front of the Spanish police, and took many migrants back to Morocco”, the NGO said.
Spanish media Publico confirmed the account, and published photographs of the incident.
Of those attempting to cross the border into the EU, many are minors, according to No Name Kitchen.
They are scared of illegal pushbacks, the source said, adding that “most of them try to reach [centres for minors in mainland Spain], because they are considered safer. But the trip to arrive in the Iberian peninsula can be very dangerous for them.”
Sanchez, for his part, praised the Moroccan authorities for trying to prevent a “violent assault” on the border with Melilla at a press conference on 24 June.
Sanchez defends Morocco’s handling of Melilla border incidents
During the UN Security Council on 29 June, Kenyan officials said that the events of Melilla and Ceuta show, again, the difference of treatment for African refugees in Europe, despite international law formally safeguarding refugee and asylum seekers’ rights.
According to international law, once they have entered EU territory, arrivals have the right to apply for asylum. If the application is denied, the applicant will be subject to repatriation.
Those attempting to cross the Moroccan border “are mainly from Chad and Sudan, and they do not have legal and safe alternatives to arrive in the EU” the source for No Name Kitchen said. “They have the right of asylum in Europe,” they added.
New migration row as African states slam Morocco and Spain over border deaths
A new row over migration policy between Africa and the EU has broken out in response to the deaths of dozens of migrants attempting to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Melilla last week.
Discussion within the EU
The events at the border were debated at the European Parliament on Monday (4 July), with Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson voicing her support for the UN and African Union’s efforts to initiate an investigation into the incident.
She also pushed for the adoption of the Pact on Migration and Asylum that the Commission approved in September 2020, which is designed to allow for a more coordinated and harmonised migration policy for the EU.
Currently, most competences in terms of border management lie with member states – one of the contributing factors to the significant bureaucratic delays in handling asylum applications.
However, it is not still clear whether the Commission’s proposal, which is now at the discussion stage with the Council, will result in any new surprises in terms of amendments, particularly regarding the relocation mechanism.
[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald and Benjamin Fox]
Source: euractiv.com
