Nearly 80 other migrants and about 140 officers and other security personnel were injured. Most security personnel were injured in the attempt to stop the migrants, the Moroccan Interior Ministry said.
About 130 migrants managed to reach Melilla after storming the border fences. It was the first time a large group of migrants tried to reach Spain and thus the European Union via Melilla since diplomatic relations between Rabat and Madrid normalized. When the countries quarreled over the status of Western Sahara last year, groups of sometimes thousands of migrants stormed the enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta in the summer. After ties were tightened, the Moroccan Border Police regained control of the situation.
Melilla and Ceuta in northern Morocco are a favorite target of illegal migrants, allowing them to reach Spain and the European Union without crossing the Mediterranean. Spain therefore pays a lot of money to Morocco to guard the border. The two small tracts of land have been European property for six hundred years and are home to 170,000 people. Ceuta is located just south of Gibraltar and Melilla 225 kilometers to the east. Morocco also lays claim to the territories.
