The migration policy of the EU contested by the Maghreb

Human rights activists gathered in Morocco condemn Europe's migration policy as the death toll among migrants continues to climb.Gathered in Nador, north-eastern Morocco, participants in the Maghreb Social Forum on Migration (FSMM) condemned the migration policy of the European Union (EU), during an annual gathering held on Sunday 25 June.

The Forum brought together human rights activists from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and associations of African migrants, active in Spain, in France, Belgium and Morocco.The participants commemorated the death of at least 23 African migrants who tried to enter the enclave of Melilla in Spain from Morocco at the end of June 2022.On June 24, nearly 2,000 illegal immigrants, mostly from Sudan – a very poor country plagued by conflict – tried to enter the enclave of Melilla, located on the northern coast of Morocco.

According to the Moroccan authorities, at least 23 migrants perished in this tragedy, which represents the heaviest human toll ever recorded during attempts to intrude migrants into this enclave or that of Ceuta, which constitute the only two borders of the EU on the African continent.Forum participants called for a “transnational solidarity pact” with migrants. Moreover, they said they "refuse European pressure for the externalization of European borders and the mass expulsions of migrants and asylum seekers [from Europe]".

The FSMM also rejected a review of Europe's rules by EU interior ministers for what the EU calls a new effort to pressure member countries to share the burden more fairly. migrants and asylum seekers.In return, he called for the establishment of independent commissions of inquiry in order to “shed light on the tragedies that have occurred in the Maghreb region”, particularly in Morocco and Tunisia.

The annual meeting of the FSMM closely followed the latest migration tragedy, which sent shockwaves through the international community.Earlier this month, an overcrowded fishing trawler carrying up to 750 migrants, including around 100 children, was shipwrecked in international waters in the Mediterranean.The boat had left Libya bound for Italy when it capsized off the coast of Greece. So far, only 104 survivors have been found and 81 bodies recovered, while more than 500 people are still missing.According to the International Organization for Migration, 2,406 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean in 2022, while 1,166 such incidents have occurred since the start of this year.