Nearly 2,000 irregular migrants attempted to cross the Melilla border to reach Spanish territory this Friday morning, as 130 migrants have succeeded.
According to a Spanish police spokesman cited by the AFP, a group of migrants, allegedly made up of sub-Saharan African immigrants, was spotted approaching the border early this morning.
A spokesman for the local administration said that the Spanish security forces detected the group around 06:40 AM, and that “despite the wide security deployment of Moroccan forces, which cooperate actively and coordinated with Spanish security forces, the group managed to storm the entry gate at the border and enter Melilla.
This border crossing attempt is the first after Spain and Morocco’s reconciliation in mid-March after a near-year-long diplomatic dispute.
The crisis worsened at the time, with the unprecedented influx of nearly 10,000 irregular migrants to Ceuta.
Morocco and Spain agreed to gradually reopen their land borders in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, north of the kingdom, that same period.
The crossing was initially allowed for Schengen area citizens and their families, but authorities expanded the procedures to include worker crossing in both directions after May 31, according to the Spanish Minister of the Interior.
These border crossings were closed nearly two years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But it remained closed after that, in the context of a severe diplomatic crisis between Rabat and Madrid, before the two countries announced in early April a new relations roadmap.
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