Moroccan report: Stampede at fault for migrant border deaths

By TARIK EL-BARAKAH
Associated Press
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Morocco’s state-affiliated human rights council has depicted last month’s attempt by hundreds of migrants to storm the border between the North African kingdom and the Spanish enclave of Melilla as “unprecedented in nature, tactics used and scope.” At least 23 people, mostly from Sudan and Chad, died in the attempt. The National Council on Human Rights released a 30-page preliminary report Wednesday on the events of June 24. It estimated that most people died from asphyxiation. Human rights watchdog AMDH, however, said the Moroccan report is incomplete, and reiterated its calls for an independent investigation. Rights groups have condemned authorities on both sides of the border for an excessive use of force.