Twenty-seven dead and counting!
International media on Friday were filled with horrific scenes of “African” migrants being beaten to death with black batons while laying on the ground as Moroccan authorities in their black uniforms showed little restraint in dealing with the “black crisis” that has engulfed the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta over the years.
To add insult to injury, and to further diminish the value of black lives, these “migrants” who emanate from Chad, Niger, Sudan and South Sudan were simply labelled as Africans without due regard that Africa is a continent and not a country.
The price we pay for our BLACKNESS!
In 1984, Morocco walked out of the Organisation of African Unity as a response to the organisations admission and recognition of the POLISARIO Front as the legitimate representatives of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
Three years later Morocco applied to be admitted to the European Communities, the forerunner to the European Union.
This application was rejected on the grounds that Morocco is not a European country!
Thirty-three years later, Morocco back-peddled on its exit and applied to be re-admitted to the AU as a precursor to resolving the decades long deadlock over the freedom and independence of Western Sahara.
The application was granted and Morocco re-joined the AU in January 2017!
When POLISARIO Leader, Brahim Ghali, was admitted to a Spanish hospital in April 2021, Moroccan authorities retaliated by allowing migrants from neighbouring African countries to cross their borders into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
This show of weaponised migration is similar to a tactic used by Fidel Castro when he orchestrated the Mariel Boatlift of Cuban undesirables to Maimi, Florida.
Similarly, Muammar Gaddafi used weaponised migration when he threatened to “Turn Europe Black” in retaliation to the European Union’s stance on his regime.
Morocco is playing the same game when it blackmailed Spain into back-peddling on its neutral stance with regard to the issue of Western Sahara.
By supporting Morocco’s “sovereignty” over the disputed territory and supporting the plan for ‘autonomy’, Spain broke with the EU, AU, and UN resolutions that call for a referendum to decide the future of the people of Western Sahara.
A tragedy in itself!
By using weaponised migration and leveraging human lives in order to gain the diplomatic upper-hand, Morocco is in violation of the AU African Commission on Human and People’s Rights which calls for the protection of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons.
What Morocco has shown with the tragedy of 24 June is that its allegiance is with its largest trading partner Spain, and not with the African continent and the African Union to which it has membership.
Spain is Morocco’s largest trading partner and this can be viewed as the main reason why Morocco neglects its obligations under international laws “to treat all migrants with dignity and to prioritize their safety and human rights, while refraining from the use of excessive force”.
Read also: Morocco: AU and UN call for investigation into Melilla tragedy
The African Union should take a principled stance against Morocco!
By isolating the Kingdom and expelling it from the organisation the AU would send a clear message that its members should abide by its rules.
Moroccan racism against the people of Western Sahara has shown its ugly face in the Melilla crisis!
Moroccans showing themselves as more European than African magnifies itself in the Melilla crisis!
Morocco should be sanctioned by the African Union for its treatment of migrants from Chad, Niger, Sudan and Southern Sudan!
Morocco should be expelled from the African Union for constantly showing its disdain for the rest of Africa!
* Vitalio Angula is a Namibian Reporter, Columnist, Analyst, Journalist, Socio-Political Commentator, Freelance
This article first appeared on The Confident
