Spanish “emergency” as migrants target its territories

The Spanish interior minister has admitted that police should not have fired rubber bullets as migrants swam towards Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa.

The incident, in which at least 15 migrants are known to have drowned, occurred on 6 February.

At the time Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz claimed that the coast guards had not aimed directly at the migrants and that the rubber bullets were not responsible for the deaths.

The EU expressed its concern, saying it expected an explanation from Spain. Its Home Affairs Commissioner added that the actions of any EU state protecting its borders should be "proportionate", and should respect fundamental rights and human dignity.

Now for the first time a Spanish official has admitted it was wrong to use rubber bullets to deter migrants.

Ceuta and Spain’s other enclave Melilla are the only parts of the EU which have a land border with Africa. With increasing frequency, migrants, armed with sticks, rocks and bottles, have been assaulting the territories’ fences.

Last weekend, 150 people made the attempt at Melilla with 15 gaining access to the city before being arrested. Local police said it was the second attempt in less than 24 hours.

Yesterday two illegal immigrants were found in the false bottom of a car beneath the boot. The car was crossing from Morocco into Melilla. The two men needed medical treatment. Last week, another car containing 17 adults and two children tried to break across the border post in Melilla but was stopped by Moroccan police.

The interior minister claims that some 80,000 migrants have gathered in Morocco in the hope of getting into one of the enclaves. He has called the situation “a state of emergency”.

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