The head of the African Union Commission voiced his shock at the "violent and degrading" treatment of African migrants trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Melilla after 23 sub-Saharan Africans died, and called for an investigation into the incident.
About 2,000 migrants stormed the heavily fortified border between the Moroccan region of Nador and Melilla on Friday. At least 23 migrants died and 140 police officers were wounded in the ensuing violence, according to Moroccan authorities. It was the heaviest toll in years of such attempts to cross the frontier at Melilla.
"I express my deep shock and concern at the violent and degrading treatment of African migrants attempting to cross an international border from Morocco into Spain," AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat said in a statement on Twitter late Sunday.
"I call for an immediate investigation into the matter and remind all countries of their obligations under international law to treat all migrants with dignity and to prioritize their safety and human rights, while refraining from the use of excessive force."
Many of the migrants, often from war-torn zones such as Sudan's Darfur region, have spent months or even years under precarious, dangerous conditions in the nearby forest of Gourougou, braving beatings and arrests in multiple attempts to reach better lives in Spain. But observers said the latest attempt was unprecedented in the level of violence.
"It's the first time that we have seen this level of violence by migrants themselves against security forces," said Omar Naji from the Nador office of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH).
Migrants treated 'harshly'
Naji linked the level of violence to a recent mending of ties between Spain and Morocco, leading to renewed cooperation against migrants and stricter enforcement.
Morocco, the only African country sharing a land border with the EU, is a key conduit for migrants fleeing war and poverty.
But the kingdom has also been accused by Spain of using migration flows as a tool to exert political pressure.
In May 2021, some 10,000 migrants surged across the border into Spain's other enclave, Ceuta, as Moroccan border guards looked the other way, in what was widely seen as a punitive gesture by Rabat in a political row over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
The two countries' resumption of ties earlier this year after a convergence on Western Sahara has led to "an intensification of pressures" against migrants living rough in the forested hills near the border, Naji said.
Recent months have seen a fall in the numbers of migrants reaching Spanish territory, according to Madrid.
"The Moroccan authorities treat migrants very harshly, raiding their camps," Naji said.
"There's no doubt that this pressure has generated the unprecedented violence we're seeing."