Morocco said on October 22 it would deport 141 migrants who were arrested a day earlier as they tried to storm a border fence with the Spanish enclave of Melilla.
One migrant died after falling off the seven-meter high metal barrier on Sunday, while 22 others and 12 security personnel were injured, the interior ministry said.
Around 200 people got over into Melilla and were taken to a reception center, Spanish authorities said. But the rest who failed would be returned to their home countries, Morocco said, without giving details of the nationalities.
Morocco, which other Africans can visit without visas, has become a major gateway for migrants into Europe since Italy’ tougher line and EU aid to the Libyan coastguard curbed the number of people coming from Libya.
The vast majority of arrivals in Spain are men, primarily from Guinea, Mali and Morocco, the UNHCR says.
Source: Reuters
