Morocco Arrests 25 More Migrants After June Border Tragedy

Moroccan police have arrested 25 more African migrants near the border with a Spanish enclave where at least 23 people died in a June crossing attempt, an official said Monday.

The arrests are the latest after courts handed heavy prison sentences to several dozen people, many from Sudan, on charges including entering Morocco illegally and violence against security personnel.

A judicial source told AFP that 25 migrants from Sudan and Chad were detained on Sunday in the Gourougou forest near the frontier with the Spanish territory of Melilla, a rare African land border with the European Union.

The official accused the migrants of using "violence" as they were arrested.

They are to appear before prosecutors in the border town of Nador on Monday.

"Morocco is acting as a policeman for European immigration policy," said Omar Naji, Nador chief of the AMDH rights group.

Authorities "should have protected these asylum seekers instead of arresting them," he said.

Gourougou is home to grim makeshift camps where migrants from across central and southern Africa sleep rough as they prepare for attempts to breach the fortified Melilla barrier.

On June 24, some 2,000 mostly Sudanese migrants attempted to enter the enclave by force.

At least 23 people died in the attempt, the worst toll in years of such attempted crossings, and rights groups accused both Spanish and Moroccan authorities of using excessive force.

Since the tragedy, Morocco has sentenced dozens of migrants to prison terms on charges including illegal entry and belonging to criminal gangs, and Nador's top court has issued even heavier penalties on appeal.

The AMDH says the high death toll was the result of renewed cooperation between Madrid and Rabat after they ended a year-long diplomatic stand-off in April.

Spain's ombudsman said last week that Madrid had failed to respect the legal rights of the migrants, calling the fatal tragedy "foreseeable".

Under international law, migrants have a right to claim asylum, and it is forbidden to send potential asylum seekers back to where their lives or well-being might be in danger.

The Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta have long been a magnet for people fleeing violence and poverty across Africa to seek refuge in Europe.