Algiers affirms that Morocco “throws the stone at the neighbor” by accusing Algeria of the assault on the Melilla fence

June 29. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Algerian government has reproached Morocco for its recent statements in which it accused Algeria of having orchestrated last Friday’s assault on the Melilla fence that resulted in the death of 23 sub-Saharan Africans and has assured that Rabat “throws the stone treacherously at neighbour”.

For the special envoy of the Algerian Government for Western Sahara and the Maghreb countries, Amar Belani, the sub-Saharans fell into an “ambush” and were “fiercely repressed by the security forces” in a “savage repression” and a “carnage” , according to statements collected by the Algerian news portal TSA.

“Not having the courage to assume their own baseness, the authorities of that country are constantly looking for scapegoats to evade their responsibilities,” he said.

“The press release from the Moroccan Embassy in Madrid is the perfect illustration” of Rabat’s “flight forward”, argued Belani in reference to the text released on Monday that reproaches Algeria for its “deliberate laxity” on the common border that would have allowed the entry of “experienced foreign militiamen” in “conflict zones” who allegedly led the assault on the fence.

In particular, Belani has criticized Morocco for “marketing” to defend its migration policy and the integration of immigrants in Moroccan society. “You cannot claim your ‘Africanness’ in front of your neighbors to the south and at the same time put on the uniform of someone who watches over Europe’s external borders,” Belani pointed out.

The Algerian official has also highlighted the “reinforced and efficient systems” in force on the Algerian-Moroccan border in the face of “regular attempts to introduce industrial quantities of cannabis from this country (…), a true war of aggression in this area” .

At least 23 migrants died due to the intervention of the Moroccan security forces during the attempt of more than 2,000 sub-Saharans to cross the Melilla fence last Friday, according to sources from the authorities cited by the Moroccan official press. NGOs warn that the deceased could be many more.

After the clashes, the Moroccan security forces handcuffed and piled up immobilized migrants on the ground in the streets of Chinatown in the city of Nador, some images and videos published on social networks by the AMDH and that have gone around the world.