Moroccan security forces shoot to kill

Two migrants dead, two sever­ely inju­red as result of Euro­pean pressure

Accor­ding to reports from Moroc­can NGOs, secu­ri­ty forces have fired shots at peo­p­le try­ing to lea­ve the coun­try by boat in the night of July 30/31 in Laâyoune (South Moroc­co). Sup­po­sedly, two refu­gees have died and two more were sever­ly inju­red. In Pro Asyl­’s opi­ni­on, this exces­si­ve use of vio­lence reflects the pres­su­re on Moroc­co exer­ted by the Euro­pean Uni­on to pre­vent right from the start any attempt to reach the Canaries.

NGOs from Moroc­co, France and Ger­ma­ny have issued a joint state­ment whe­r­ein they cri­ti­ci­ze this latest out­burst of vio­lence as well as a new wave of raids against peo­p­le from Sub-Saha­ran Afri­ca. From all over Moroc­co migrants are ship­ped clo­se to the Alge­ri­an bor­der and kept from lea­ving the­re. Near the town of Ouj­da a lar­ge open-air detenti­on cent­re is emerging.

Bernd Meso­vic