The African Diaspora Congress (ADC) is calling on concerned authorities to probe the alleged dehumanisation and death of African migrants on the Spanish-Moroccan border.
About 2,000 migrants, mainly from Sudan in June 24th tried to cross the barbed-wire fence at the militarized border the North African country and city of Melilla share.
Scores of Moroccan and Spanish officers resisted them with force, resulting in the loss of about 23 lives.
Helena Maleno Garzon, head of Walking Borders, disclosed that no fewer than 37 people died.
Videos and pictures of bodies of the victims allegedly shot by Spanish police and truncheoned by Morrocan police have been making the rounds on social media.
ADC, a coalition of African and African Diaspora groups worldwide, on Saturday in a communique I signed by the Secretary-General of ADC, Prof. Apollos Nwauwa described the viral videos and pictures showing the alleged maltreatment of 23 African men at the Melilla-Morocco border as worrisome.
ADC asked that urgent investigation of the incident be carried out to expose the perpetrators and hold them accountable for despicable acts in line with international law and conventions.
The communique read, “The reports showed African migrants were alleged to have been slaughtered by combined forces of Spanish and Moroccan security agents, as they attempted to cross the border into Spain.
“We are appalled by this troubling incident and hereby calls on the UN Human Rights Commission, the governments of Morocco, Spain, and the African Union (AU) to investigate the matter.
“As a matter of urgency, to ascertain the truth, make the report public and hold the perpetrators accountable.”
They noted that Africa Diaspora and the global community can’t afford to stand aloof and watch the persistent mistreatment Africans.
“Recent reprehensible experiences of Africans at European borders as they fled the war in Ukraine serves as a reminder of continuing disregard of the rights and dignity of black people globally.
“If it’s confirmed that Spain enabled the death of these migrants, the global community and organisations must ensure the country is held responsible. Same goes for Morocco.
“Observers see Morocco as a stable and progressive economy in Africa and, therefore, do not expect an African country to be implicated in horrific acts against fellow Africans.”
The congress demanded that Morocco, Spain, and global community follow-up the incident with the urgency it deserves to prevent a recurrence..
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