Ceuta and Melilla
A story almost ignored by the American media, but in the headlines in Spain,
Africans die in Spanish enclave

At least five people have been killed during a mass attempt by migrants to get into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.
“Three died on the Moroccan side of the border and two on the Spanish side,” said Spanish deputy prime minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega.

The BBC video link shows dozens, if not hundreds of men pouring into Melilla, the other Spanish enclave in North Africa.

The NY Times has more details

Five migrants were killed and nearly 100 injured Thursday during an attempt by hundreds of sub-Saharan Africans to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta by scaling the razor wire fences along the border, the Spanish government said.

The mass attempt by several hundred Africans to enter the enclave on Thursday follows a sharp increase over the last two months in the number of migrants to attempt crossing the two razor wire fences that separate Morocco from Ceuta and Spain’s other North African enclave, Melilla. Most appear to cross successfully, but many have been injured and nine have been killed, including the toll on Thursday, according to the Spanish government.

Ceuta and Melilla have become magnets for sub-Saharan Africans trying to make their way to Europe, many of them fleeing poverty or ethnic tensions in their own countries. Because the enclaves are Spanish territory, once the migrants arrive they can take advantage of the fact that borders have been virtually erased in the European Union.

Now Spanish newspaper El Pais (link in Spanish, via Barcepundit), states Al menos tres de los cinco inmigrantes muertos en Ceuta fueron tiroteados desde Marruecos. Rabat asegura que los disparos procedían de suelo español.- Zapatero y Jettu anuncian una investigación conjunta (my translation) At least three of the five immigrants that died in Ceuta were shot at from Morrocco. Rabat insists that the shots were fired from the Spanish side — Zapatero and Jettu announce a joint investigation.

Tres de los cinco inmigrantes muertos esta madrugada cuando participaban en un asalto masivo en la valla de Ceuta fueron tiroteados con armas que no se corresponden a a las usadas por las fuerzas de seguridad españolas, según fuentes de la investigación. Así lo revelan las autopsias de los dos fallecidos en territorio español y la información de que uno de los tres muertos en suelo marroquí fue disparado con postas, munición que no usan los agentes españoles, según ha podido saber ELPAIS.es
Three of the five immigrants that died this morning when taking part in a massive storming of the fence at Ceuta were shot at from weapons that do not match those used by Spanish security forces, according to the investigation. El Pais has found that the autopsies of the two men that died in Spanish territory, and information that one of the three that died in Morroccan soil, reveals that they were shot at with postas, ammunition not used by Spanish officers.

Spain had recently granted amnesty to nearly 700,000 illegal immigrants, for which

Spain was royally rapped on the knuckles for its unilateral action at a recent meeting of the interior ministers of the G5 – Europe’s five wealthiest nations.

The European Commission now calls for the European Union (EU) to strengthen legal immigration channels.

Also posted at Blogger News Network

Update Also via Barcepundit, What’s With Those Spanish Enclaves in North Africa? And what’s so special about Parsley Island?

(technorati tags Spain, Europe, immigration)