06/02/2017:At the start of this year the Spanish court ordered the reopening of investigations into the killings by the Spanish border police Guardia Civil in Tarajal at the beach of Ceuta that took place on February 6th 2014. Continue reading
Category Archives: Deaths on the borders
November 2016.The borders kill.
After the jump in Ceuta where more than 200 people crossed on the 31th of October, the repression the repression is intense. And yet the borders are not impossible to cross as the EU and Morocco want them to be. Many pateras arrived in Spain this month, and several people have died or are badly injured after their attempt to cross.
The borders kill !
31/10
232 bozas in one day!
01/11
Almeria
7 bozas by Maghrebians
http://www.europapress.es/andalucia/almeria-00350/noticia-llegan-puerto-almeria-siete-varones-magrebies-rescatados-buen-estado-salud-20161101193853.html
Repression
AMDH (Moroccan Human Rights Association) – Nador Section (translated from French):
“Arrests of migrants continue in Nador. The number reached around twenty who were all deported in a bus yesterday the 1st of November around 5.30pm.”
02/11
Four pateras rescued by Salvamento Maritimo
Salvamento Maritimo (translated from Spanish):
“4 #pateras rescued by Salvamar Mimosa 12 miles from Cabo de Palos. 11 people transferred to Cartagena.
Motril
51 bozas
Rescatan una patera con 51 inmigrantes a 20 millas al oeste de la isla de Alborán
Gran Canaria
57 bozas
July 2016: A non exhaustive summary
Still a lot of people try their luck for reaching Europe through Morocco. Although the majority of the travellers are subsaharan, there are more and more people from Morocco and Algeria as well who take the way via the street of Gibraltar these months.
Repression, raids and « hot refoulments » by military, the police and the Marine Marocaine, supported and financed by the EU and bilateral contracts with e.g. Spain become systematic. The raids take place in the forests of Melilla and Ceuta, the arrests in the bigger cities like Tanger, Nador or Oujda and again : deportations to Algeria !
It seems more and more frenquently, that the Salvamiento Maritimo leads pull- or push-backs : They spot a Zodiac and inform the moroccan Marine Royale who intercept the boat, even if it is already in spanish waters (e.g. the island of Alboran).
In the month of July at least 7 people went missing in the sea (2 bodies were found), one man died by the attempt of crossing the fences. Its rare that media reports the deaths, who completely disapear in the public conciousness.
The militarised fortress Europe continues the war on migrants at all the borders with so-called « security measures ». The deaths, the displaced, the imprisoned and the expelled are just part of the « collateral damage » of their criminal politics.
BORDERS KILL
30/06
Motril
2 patera : 28+34 Boza
http://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/Llegan-inmigrantes-rescatados-millas-Ejido_0_532297788.html
Vidéo:https://www.facebook.com/salvamentomaritimo.es/videos/528272714025072/
01/07
Tarifa
10 Boza and a second boat with 10 migrants intercepted by the moroccan marine.
Helena Maleno Garzón @HelenaMaleno 24m24 minutes ago
#BOZAAA 10 PERSLNNES #TÁNGER #TARIFA #Patera con diez personas rescatada en el #Estrecho. Otra con once ha sido interceptada x Marruecos
Almeria Continue reading
Ceuta: 25/12/2015: 185 Boza, 2 deaths, many injured
The night of the 25/12/2015 several hundred migrants tried to enter Ceuta by jumping the fence or by swimming. According to mainstream media, 200 tried to jump the fences while another 200 tried to enter by the sea.
Mainstream media said 185 managed to enter Ceuta, many of them got injured by the barbed wire. Twelve of them have been hospitalised and are in a very bad condition. It seems like the attempts to enter are met with extreme violence. Continue reading
November 2015: Boza, push back, Deaths
Non-exhaustive summary
In November several migrant died by drowning, when climbing fences, during the police assault or by the Forces Auxiliaires. Migration pressure remains permanently present, despite the repression, the raids, deportations to deter migrant (s) of the northern border of Morocco. The migrant (s) are seeking new ways to reach Europe. These paths become increasingly dangerous, which cause more deaths. Fortunately some (s) still manage to reach their goals. Continue reading
New deaths at the Spanish-Moroccan border in Fnideq (Ceuta, Northern Morocco)
The EU-Spanish-Moroccan cooperation kills: Mass arrests, deportations and two new deaths! The forgotten dead!
Since 3rd October 2015, the night when 200 migrants attempted to cross the fences in Ceuta and 87 succeeded to do so, several other attempts where made by hundreds of migrants. Afterwards, Morocco increased the military presence and border security measures at the fences.
On 9th October 2015, a Cameroonian and a Guinean migrant died during their attempt to cross the border. The two persons were on a boat which tried to enter Ceuta in the morning of 9th October. However, they were intercepted by the Moroccan Royal Marine, were severely beaten and subsequently died. A dozen of other persons present on the boat and therefore witnesses to these facts, were put in a van, locked in it for 12 hours and subsequently taken to the Fnideq police station. http://cadenaser.com/ser/2015/10/09/internacional/1444425919_850628.html
During these days, all the attempts to cross the border were suppressed with the use of extreme violence by the Moroccan Gendarmerie and the Moroccan Auxiliary Forces. All migrants who attempted to cross the border were violently arrested and taken to Southern Morocco in buses. http://elfarodigital.es/ceuta/politica/171899-marruecos-se-blinda-tras-el-cuarto-intento-de-entrada-consecutivo.html#
Simultaneously, the forests and camps around Ceuta were raided. Hundreds of migrants were arrested and taken to the South of Morocco in buses, the Moroccan forces used extreme violence during these arrests and caused many injuries. All the belongings in the forest camps were burnt or destroyed. Some groups of migrants were left in the desert, others taken to the outskirts of Southern cities. Continue reading
JULY and AUGUST: Boza, no Boza, deaths, disappeared and wounded
Many migrants continue to try to traverse the Mediterranean Sea or climb the fences in Ceuta and Melilla in their attempts to reach Europe. Several persons were wounded, died or disappeared during the months of July and August. Through collaboration between the Spanish surveillance and rescue service Salvamento Maritimo and the Moroccan Marine, numerous boats are detected by the Spanish services and taken by the Moroccan Marine, often it is not clear whether the boat was indeed still in Moroccan territorial waters or whether they were refouled to Moroccan waters from the Spanish side.
Here is a map of Spanish territorial waters: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/620642581823815680?s=02
Update on the situation on July 1, 2015 Continue reading
Update from the Border: At least 5 dead
In these past days, the situation at the European-Moroccan border is continuously getting worse.
At least five people have died last Sunday: Official figures state that 4 Subsaharan migrants drowned while attempting to swim to Ceuta (a local NGO cites 8 deaths, 4 confirmed and 4 disappeared and mentions a zodiac which was not rescued). The same day one Moroccan migrant choked to death in the trunk of his brother’s car, on the ferry to Almeria.
We are sad and enraged that fortress Europe has killed another five people, and harmed many more!
Every night, people are trying to cross, searching for a better life, and are met with cruel repression. The Moroccan authorities have intensified their control measures, not only to intercept migrants but also the summer drug business season. In the Strait of Gibraltar, the Moroccans now use at least two more motorized vessels at high speed which stop migrants and keep them at bay until the Navy arrives and pushes them back.They name it a “rescue operation”, for us it means “return operation”. Continue reading
Hazards at the borders: Update from the 1/07/2015
Despite a “reinforced” wave of repression, many people try to get to Europe, leaving from Morocco hidden in cars, trying to climb the fences around Ceuta or Melilla, or by boat (in 2015, 71 boats with 1260 migrants have arrived in Andalucia)
These crossing attempts result sometimes in human dramas, severe injuries or “disappearances” which are often not reported by mainstream media or by the authorities. Thus it’s not uncommon that someone alerts us about the disappearing of a migrant while trying to cross. But any further inquieries often remain in vain!
The repression organised by Morocco in cooperation with Spain and financed by the EU extends to the borders by an increasing militarisation, by real raids in the forests where the migrants seek shelter, in the markets (Soukh) and in the cities where migrants live. Continue reading
Update from Boukhalef: large-scale evictions and mass deportations
Another 22 murders by the fortress Europe? 22/06/2015
Yesterday, the Salvamento Maritimo ended its search for a boat with 22 people who had left from somewhere near AlHoceima. After 2 days of intense search with boat and helicoptres, from Tangier to AlHoceima and Tarifa to Almeria, we fear that the 22 people have lost their lives on sea – another 22 murders by the fortress Europe.
Condolences to the families and rage against the borders.
As a small consolation, a couple of boats have also survived the dangerous journey in the past couple of days.On the 19th, 10 people were saved in the Strait of Gibraltar, and 5 people entered Ceuta by boat.On the 20th, 19 people of North African origin were rescued and brought to Motril, and 19 people of Subsaharian origin bozaed in Almeria. Here are some photos from the rescue:
Yesterday, one person was saved from a floating device, off the coast of Tarifa.
BOZA and welcome to Europe!
Transnational Action Day in Tanger in memory of the victims of the Tarajal Tragedy
[En] Fr, Esp
This is just the beginning!
Transnational Action Day: Stop the War Against Migrants! On the 6th of February 2015 in Tanger, Morocco, as well as in different european countries, people were gathering to give a sign against the murderous border politics of the EU. conmemoration events take place In London, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Madrid, Barcelona and Tanger to remember the more than 15 people that have been killed by the spanish border police (Guardia Civil) exactly one year ago on the fence. For this reason more than 80 people come together in Tanger to lament the deaths of their comrades, amongst them many migrants who survived the attack of the Guardia Civil. Continue reading
Programme Internationale / International Programme
Tanger-
6th of February: Sit-in in front of the Spanish consulate in Tanger at 11:00am.
Exhibition of photos and commemoration ceremony at 2:00pm.
Mass of the commemoration at the Catholic Cathedral (the Boulevard) at 5:00pm.
Fnideq-
7th of February: Commemoration at the fences near Fnideq at 3:00pm.
Ceuta-
7th of February: Demonstration from the “Ceti” (Migrants registration Center) to the beach of Tarajal at 4.00pm. #marcha7f
Barcelona- Continue reading
International Call-out for 6th February action
Call-out to all affected by the war waged by the European Union against migrants and refugees.
On 6th February 2014, hundreds of migrants were trying, in a collective action, to overcome the border at the Spanish enclave Ceuta, by sea. The Spanish Guardia Civil, in response to the attempt to enter EU territory, fired on the people in the sea with rubber bullets and tear gas. Moroccan police, supported by racist inhabitants, also participated in the deadly hunt.
15 persons were officially reported dead, and yet over 50 were missing! Thousands more have been killed, injured and pushed-back illegally through the Spanish-Moroccan border since.
A year after this murder – in addition to many others that caused the death and disappearance of migrants – we still demand the member states of the European Union to respect the fundamental rights which must be guaranteed for every person in the world, not only for western citizens.
We express our solidarity with all migrants who risk their lives, continuously pushed to take the desert and the sea to get through the brutal security measurements of the fortress europe and their execution by north-African authorities. Continue reading
29 people died on high sea
A boat with 57 people on board, among them 9 children, left Morocco for Spain on Wednesday night. Since Thursday morning the Spanish sea rescue organization Salvamiento Maritima was searching for the boat by boat and plane. They had been alerted by the Watch the Med Alarm Telephone, for whom this was the first distress call from the Western Mediterranean. On Friday midday the 5^th of December, they finally found the boat. A pregnant woman could be brought directly to a hospital by helicopter, but for 29 people any help came too late. Eight of the nine children and 21 adults died due to the cold temperatures and one and a half day on the sea. You find more detailed information in this article (in Spanish). It’s not to imagine how cruel it was for people on theboat while half of the group is dying slowly next to each other.
We want to express our condolence to the families and friends of the victims.
How many more people need to die at these borders before Europe changes it’s deadly border regime?
NO BORDERS! NO MORE DEATHS AT SEA!
40.000 migrants have died since 2000
This picture of a broken Zodiac (inflatable boat which migrants use to reach Europe) was taken on Saturday afternoon 27th of September on the beach of Tangier. It happened right after the police had forcibly stopped a legal sit-in to protest against the raising violence against migrants in Tangier.
It’s just a small example of how this border regime works: Try to stop as many people as possible before they reach the EU for no matter which costs and keep critical voices silent.
We can’t say who were the people in this Zodiac and what happened to them but we can imagine the worse. The last time many Zodiacs were found at the cost around Tangier was right after the night of the 12th of August when an estimated 85 people (there’s no official number) drowned between Tangier and the Spanish town Tarifa.
Two days later, on the 29th of September, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) published a study about migrants’ deaths worldwide “Fatal Journeys: Tracking Lives Lost During Migration”.
According to this study:
- Since 2000 more than 40.000 people died worldwide while migrating. 22.000, so more than the half, lost their life trying to reach Europe, which makes Europe the world’s most dangerous destination for migrants.
- Only between January and September this year 3000 illegalised migrants were killed by Europe’s border regime.
- It is likely that the real number of deaths is considerably higher, as authorities try to hide the deaths of people they are responsible for, as many people disappear in remote areas on the high sea without being recorded, and as “collecting data on migrant deaths has never been a priority for most governments around the world.” So “experts now believe that for every dead body discovered, there are at least two others that are never recovered.”
Deaths at sea
During the last few days more than 1000 migrants managed to cross to Spain in small inflatable boats, as the Moroccan military “opened the waters”. This has been all over the press here in Europe. They have been talking about how Europe is being invaded as the border control is failing. What Seems less important to them is the number of people who lost their lives at the sea these days due to bad weather conditions. 85 migrants. We do not yet have more exact information about where and when, and not least under what circumstances. But we are trying to figure this out, and we will update the blog as soon as we know more.
For now, let us send our strongest thoughts of solidarity, and show this solidarity in any way possible, to the victims of Europe’s crazy border regime.
Migrants in Tangiers protest the murder of Cedric Bete by police 4th December 2013
Dozens of migrants murdered by Spanish and Moroccan police in attempts to cross border in early February but over 200 enter in recent days
The 6th of February has become a common reference when talking about police brutality at the European border. On this day the Spanish Guardia Civil shocked many people by showing what means they are ready to put into practice in order to stop migration, this day leading to the death of at least 17 people. A group of Camerounese migrants, who were in the water that, have told us what they experienced that day. The following is a summary of their stories.
Early in the morning of the 6th of February a group of 400 migrants (mostly Camerounese) went down to the beach in Fnideq close to the border to Spain, and started swimming towards Ceuta. While doing so they were being attacked by Moroccan military police, but also Spanish police started to shoot with rubber bullets at the migrants while they were still at the Moroccan side, as well as at the people who made it to the Spanish side. They were shooting both directly at people and at the floating implements that some people needed because they were not able to swim. This caused several people to drown. Apart from that, there were Guardia Civil officers in a boat with a Spanish flag who were pumping tear-gas into the water as well as sailing over people.
There was a mass panic attack in the water when some migrants tried to continue making their way to Spain, while others tried to escape the bullets and tear gas by returning to the Moroccan side.
Officially 17 people are announced to be dead, but according to these Cameroonian people, more than 25 people died, and others are still missing. Continue reading
No Borders Morocco 