Melilla: The mass attempt by 2,000 sub-Saharan migrants to cross into the Spanish enclave of Melilla in North Africa continues to haunt the region, as the exact number of deaths remains unknown.
According to Global Voices, what began as an ordinary Friday morning in the Autonomous City of Melilla quickly turned into a day marked by bloodshed and silence—a dark chapter in Spanish, Moroccan, and European migration policy. Around 2,000 migrants, predominantly from Sudan, attempted to breach the border fence between Morocco and Spain through the Barrio Chino checkpoint. The result was devastating, with dozens of deaths and disappearances that marked a significant turning point in the region’s migration narrative.
Three years later, a confirmed death toll remains elusive, and many who attempted the crossing are still unaccounted for. Amnesty International reports at least 37 confirmed deaths and 73 missing persons. Caminando Fronteras estimates 40 dead and 77 missing, while AMDH-Nador, along with Border Forensics, counts 27 deaths and over 70 missing. Meanwhile, a coalition of 74 NGOs addressed the UN, stating that at least 37 people were killed and more than 70 remain unaccounted for.
The official Moroccan account reports 23 migrant deaths, two Moroccan police officers killed, and 76 migrants and 140 security personnel injured—a version endorsed by Spain’s Ministry of the Interior. However, an independent investigation by El País, Lighthouse Reports, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, and Enass alleged that at least one migrant died on Spanish territory. Amnesty International also reported that Spanish forces conducted 470 “hot returns,” forcibly sending migrants who had crossed back to Morocco.
Those who survived were reportedly transported to remote areas in Morocco, according to Amnesty International, and their current whereabouts are unknown. Some are believed to have continued their journeys through other migration routes, such as Libya, Algeria, or Tunisia, but no reliable sources confirm this.
On June 28, 2022, just days after the incident, Spain’s Public Prosecutor opened an investigation to assess the actions of Spanish authorities. By December of the same year, the case was closed, citing no evidence of criminal conduct in the use of summary returns. Similarly, Moroccan authorities launched their own inquiry, which was formally closed on June 24, 2024, citing a lack of evidence of wrongdoing and defending the actions of security forces.
Despite the lack of accountability, Melilla remains a critical stop on migratory routes to Europe. Daily life has resumed as if unchanged, although the memory of that day lingers over the city, its residents, and the migrants who pass through it. Since 2022, no border crossing of such magnitude has been attempted, although smaller attempts continue. In the last two years, about 1,770 migrants have crossed the fortified fence, with the sea now being the main route into Melilla.
As time passes, the silence and lack of accountability endure. For the families of the dead and missing, the wound remains open, waiting for truth, justice, and remembrance.