The Spanish political party Podemos recently sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, requesting the opening of a thorough and independent investigation into the tragedy in Mellila that occurred on 24 June 2022, resulting in the death of at least 37 migrants of sub-Saharan origin.
Two years ago, a massive entry attempt by nearly 2,000 sub-Saharan migrants took place around the presidencia of Melilla, coming from the city of Nador. Spanish parties have pointed out the absence of concrete reports established, both on the Moroccan and Spanish sides, regarding the circumstances and responsibilities surrounding this event which resulted in around thirty deaths and dozens of missing people.
The European deputies elected under the banner of Podemos, in this case Irene Montero and Isa Serra, made harsh criticisms in their missive addressed to the European Commission, emphasizing that, “ two years after the events, neither the Moroccan nor Spanish authorities have carried out an adequate investigation to elucidate the ins and outs of this tragedy”.
For his part, Javier Sanchez Serna, also a Podemos MP, recalled that the Spanish prosecutor’s office closed the case in November 2022, while the Moroccan authorities did so on Monday, June 24, coinciding with the second anniversary of this tragic event, without meeting the expectations of the bereaved families of the migrants involved. In this regard, he informed that the party officially sent a letter to the President of the European Commission this Monday, in order to request the reopening of the investigation at the European Union level and to establish the responsibility of the parties involved.
Furthermore, Podemos is not the only one to have made such a request. The Esquerra Republicana party also sent a letter to Congress last week, urging “urgent and effective measures” as well as an “independent investigation” to determine the circumstances and details of this tragedy.
It should be recalled that the Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, in the plenary session of Congress after the attempt indicated that the Spanish Civil Guard had been warned at dawn by the Moroccan authorities of “movements” of a “very large”, “organized” and “armed” group (bladed weapons, sticks, clubs, axes and other sharp objects, etc.) which was approaching the border perimeter of Melilla via the Barrio Chino de Beni Ansar in Nador.
Marlaska also paid tribute to the Moroccan authorities who stopped the first attempt to penetrate Melilla, and refused to implicate in any way the responsibility of the Moroccan police forces in this tragedy.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita defended the intervention of Moroccan forces on the day of the tragedy. He described this security operation as “responsible”, in the face of “ an event that was not normal either in its origin or in its course ». « It was not a spontaneous movement, it was something very violent, very new and planned » by illegal immigration networks, he noted.
