The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, said yesterday that he is in contact with the Moroccan authorities with a view to “redirecting the situation” following the two mass assaults on the Melilla valley in the last 48 hours.
“It is a very worrying development”, the minister acknowledged in an interview on La Sexta, reported by Europa Press, stressing that “we had not seen this type of attack for many months, or when there had been attempts in collaboration with the Moroccan authorities, they had managed to repel them and not reach this level of seriousness”.
He specified that he is “in contact with the Moroccan authorities to redirect this situation”, without giving more details about these contacts, beyond assuring that he is also “dedicating many hours to this matter”.
Yesterday, some 1,200 sub-Saharans attempted to jump into Melilla, and around 350 succeeded. On Wednesday, there was an avalanche of 2,500 migrants, of whom around 500 succeeded, in what was the largest attempt to date.
In both events, there were injuries among the security forces. On Wednesday, 25 Guardia Civil and two National Police officers required medical attention after the event, while yesterday another four Guardia Civil officers suffered minor injuries.
The mass jumps at the Melilla fence come at a time when the government has still not managed to mend relations with Morocco following the reception last April of Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali, despite the efforts of recent months, which have even included the intervention of King Felipe VI.
