Clashes resume at Morocco-Melilla border as migrants storm Spanish enclave

Moroccan security forces clashed with hundreds of people attempting to storm the border into the Spanish-administered enclave of Melilla on Saturday, marking a second consecutive day of violence at the North African crossing that left members of both groups injured, according to local media and activists.

Videos shared on social media showed confrontations between security personnel and migrants near the Beni Ansar crossing, which connects the Moroccan city of the same name to Melilla, and Moroccan news website Hibapress reported that authorities arrested 50 people following the mass attempt to breach the border fence.

Border crossing sealed

The Beni Ansar crossing remained closed for a second straight day, disrupting travel for passengers including members of the Moroccan diaspora returning from abroad, according to the same sources. The closure followed repeated mass attempts to cross into the enclave that have strained security resources on both sides of the frontier.

Spanish authorities said the number of bodies recovered on the Spanish side of the border has risen to 57, with search operations continuing amid fears that more victims remain missing, while some would-be migrants drowned while attempting to swim to Ceuta and others were killed in a stampede near the border barrier.

EU's African land borders

According to Spain's Interior Ministry, approximately 48,300 people had returned to Morocco by 1600 GMT Friday out of an estimated 60,000 who entered Ceuta in recent days, the enclave's regional government chief stated. Tens of thousands of Moroccans have gathered near the border fence in recent days attempting to reach the Spanish enclaves and continue onwards to Europe through irregular migration routes.

Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish-administered enclaves on Morocco's northern coast and constitute the European Union's only land borders with the African continent, making them frequent flashpoints for migration attempts.