Tue 28 June 2022:
Following the deaths of 23 people, the head of the African Union Commission expressed dismay at the “violent and degrading” treatment of African migrants seeking to enter Spain from Morocco and demanded an investigation.
On Friday, over 2,000 migrants assaulted the tightly guarded border between the Spanish outpost of Melilla and the Moroccan region of Nador.
“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 prioritise their safety and human rights, while refraining from the use of excessive force.”
Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations, Martin Kimani, said a UN Security Council meeting would be held behind closed doors on Monday to discuss the violence African migrants face in Melilla.
Kenya, Gabon and Ghana — the African non-permanent members of the Security Council — called for the meeting, he said.
“Migrants are Migrants: whether from Africa or Europe, they do not deserve to be brutalised in this way,” Kimani wrote on Twitter.
Spain’s enclaves in Morocco, Melilla and Ceuta, are the only land borders the European Union shares with Africa.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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