Migrant Deaths at Melilla Border: Morocco Prepares Mass Burial Near Nador

The Moroccan authorities have chosen this cemetery to bury the bodies of the migrants who died during their attempt to jump the Melilla fence. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) published an image on its Facebook account on Sunday of cemetery workers digging graves, indicating that the deceased migrants will be buried there.

Sources from the Ministry of the Interior have confirmed to EFE that the Sidi Salem cemetery will host the bodies of these migrants, without specifying the date on which they will be buried. The graves have been dug in an isolated area of the rest of the graves, the same source informs, noting that twelve graves have already been dug and the operation will continue on Monday.

To read: Deadly Clashes at Melilla Border: 18 Migrants Killed, Dozens Injured in Morocco

In a joint statement, ten Moroccan and Spanish humanitarian organizations are calling on the Moroccan authorities to identify and return the bodies of the victims to their families, in collaboration with the migrants’ association. For the moment, the Moroccan authorities have not released any information on the nationality of these migrants or on the process of their burial.

Nearly 2,000 sub-Saharan migrants attempted on Friday to enter Melilla from Nador. The clashes with the Moroccan security forces who tried to push them back resulted in 23 deaths and dozens of injuries among the migrants, according to the Nador authorities.