Hundreds of migrants breach Melilla border, clashes erupt

Rabat/Istanbul (ANTARA) - Clashes have broken out again between Moroccan security forces and hundreds of migrants attempting to breach the border towards Melilla, a Spanish-administered autonomous territory, on Saturday. Various video recordings uploaded by activists on social media and Moroccan local media show fierce confrontations between groups of migrants and security personnel. The Moroccan news portal, Hibapress, reported that the clashes occurred following a mass attempted breach at the border crossing post. The incident resulted in several security officers and migrants being injured. The outlet further reported that authorities have arrested 50 individuals involved in the breach attempt. Due to repeated mass crossing attempts, the Beni Ansar border post, which connects the town of Beni Ansar in Morocco with Melilla, was forced to close for two consecutive days. The closure of the land route has disrupted the movement of people, particularly Moroccan diaspora members returning from abroad. According to data from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, approximately 48,300 people had returned to Morocco as of Friday (31/7) at 16:00 GMT, out of an estimated 60,000 migrants who had entered the Ceuta region in recent days. The number of deceased individuals evacuated in the Spanish territory has risen to 57, while search operations continue amid fears of further missing persons. In recent days, tens of thousands of Moroccans have gathered around the border fences in an attempt to reach Ceuta and Melilla to continue their journey to Europe via non-procedural migration routes. Ceuta and Melilla are two enclaves under Spanish administration on the northern coast of Morocco, serving as the only direct land borders between the European Union and the African continent.