Morocco Tightens Border Control as Migrants Face Trial After Melilla Incident

Morocco is working to no longer allow illegal migrants to enter Spain. After the assault in Melilla, Morocco has taken new measures to block their way. In addition, illegal migrants are subject to the rigors of the law. Those who participated in the violent assault on the border with Melilla on June 24, 2022 are facing Moroccan justice. A group of 28 asylum seekers will be tried on Wednesday in Nador, in northeastern Morocco, reports Le Journal Du Dimanche. In total, 47 asylum seekers have been sentenced to several months in prison, prosecuted among other things for "illegal entry" into the country and "membership of a criminal gang of illegal immigration".

"We are witnessing a 180-degree change in Spanish migration policy at the expense of migrants," notes Omar Naji, of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH). Morocco has changed its strategy after its reconciliation with Spain, which supports its Sahara autonomy plan. "The Moroccans want to show the Spaniards what they are capable of to control the borders in order to obtain more funding from the Europeans," he argues. More broadly, "there has been for six months an attempt by Morocco to position itself in a more Western way," analyzes Emmanuel Dupuy, president of the Institute for Prospective and Security in Europe, adding that the migration issue as well as cooperation in the fight against terrorism are at the heart of a new offensive diplomacy by Morocco.