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{{short description|Part of the Morocco–Spain border at Melilla}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
[[Image:Melilla en.png|thumb|Layout of Melilla]] 
[[File:Verjamelilla.jpg|thumb|Morocco–Spain border, by Melilla]]
[[Image:Localización Melilla.png|thumb|Melilla]]

The '''Melilla border fence''' forms part of the [[Morocco–Spain border]] in the city of [[Melilla]], one of two Spanish cities in north Africa. Constructed by Spain, its stated purpose is to stop [[illegal immigration]] and [[smuggling]]. Melilla's border and [[Ceuta border fence|its equivalent in Ceuta]], also bordering Morocco, are the only two land borders between the European Union and an African country.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bilefsky|first1=Dan|title=More Migrants Storm Fence to Enter Ceuta, Spanish Enclave in Africa|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/20/world/europe/ceuta-morocco-border-migrants.html|date=2017-02-20|access-date=2017-05-12|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Recent history==
In September 2005, some thousands of [[Sub-Saharan Africa|sub-Saharan African]] migrants tried to climb over the fences in several waves moving upon Melilla. About 700 made it past the fences while six died in clashes with Moroccan security forces.<ref>{{cite news | first=Daniel | last=Woolls |author2=Emmanuel Tumanjong |author3=Todd Pitman | title=Far from home, African immigrants tell families about grueling ordeals to reach Europe | publisher=Union-Tribune Publishing Co | url =http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20051009-1117-spain-homesickafricans.html | agency =Associated Press | access-date = 2008-01-06 }}</ref> The 2005 events at the Melilla and Ceuta border fences are the subject of a documentary film, ''Victimes de nos richesses''.<ref name=Barlet>{{cite news|last=Barlet|first=Olivier|author-link=Olivier Barlet|title=Victimes de nos richesses|url=http://www.afribd.com/article.php?no=8950|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130101181421/http://www.afribd.com/article.php?no=8950|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 January 2013|access-date=16 March 2012|newspaper=Africultures|language=fr}}</ref>

Three hundred people attempted and 30 succeeded in climbing the fence in August 2020, some of the 2,250 people who entered Ceuta and Melilla in 2020. Eighty-seven people scaled the fence on 19 January 2021; nine were taken to hospital.<ref>{{cite news |title=Migrants scale border fences to enter Spanish enclave |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/migrants-scale-border-fences-enter-spanish-enclave-75339571?cid=clicksource_4380645_19_hero_headlines_headlines_hed |access-date=January 20, 2021 |work=ABC News |agency=AP |date=January 19, 2021 |language=en}}</ref> [[2022 Melilla incident|2000 people attempted to scale the fence on 24 June 2022]]; 133 successfully. Twenty-three people died and several were taken to the hospital.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-61956104 | title=Melilla migrant deaths spark anger in Spain | work=BBC News | date=27 June 2022 }}</ref>

==Renovation==
[[Anti-immigration sentiment]] toward African migrants prompted the Spanish government of [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]] in 2005 to build up a new border fence. This border fence, built next to the two deteriorated existing ones, completely seals the border. In 2018, the new interior minister of Spain recognized the anti-immigration sentiment that the fence stems from and vowed to replace the razor wire along its top with more humane deterrents.  "Spain's new interior minister has vowed to do "everything possible" to remove the "anti-migrant" razor wire fences, which separate Morocco from the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla."<ref>{{cite news |title=Ceuta and Melilla: Spain wants rid of anti-migrant razor wire |work=BBC News |date=14 June 2018 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44485995 }}</ref>  

[[File:Vallas de Melilla.jpg|thumb|left|Guard post and razor wire on the border fence in 2006]]
This third razor wire barrier cost Spain €33 million to construct. It consists of {{convert|11|km|mi|abbr=on}} of parallel {{convert|3|m|ftin|abbr=on}} high fences topped with barbed wire, with regular watchposts and a road running between them to accommodate either police patrols or ambulance service in case of need. Underground cables connect spotlights, noise and movement sensors, and video cameras to a central control booth. In 2005 its height was doubled to {{convert|6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} since immigrants were climbing the previous fences equipped with home-made steps. Also, devices to slow them harmlessly were added to facilitate the intruders' detention.{{fact|date=January 2019}}

Even with three fences built, people still scale them and arrive on Spanish territory.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaILY9TG-fQ |title=How a border wall works in Melilla, Spain, a gateway between Europe and Africa 2019|website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref> From these, [[Amnesty International]] and [[Médecins Sans Frontières]] accused the Moroccan government of dumping people from various African countries (some of them claiming to be validly registered as [[political refugees]]) in an uninhabited area of the [[Sahara Desert]] without food or water supplies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amnesty.or.jp/en/news/2005/1025_444.html|title=Amnesty International- Morocco/Western Sahara: Amnesty International concerned|work=AMNESTY JAPAN}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Ceuta border fence]]
* [[Moroccan Wall]]
* [[Melilla#Border Security|Spanish Armed Forces: General Command of Melilla]]
* ''[[Bab Sebta]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commonscat}}
* {{in lang|es}}  [http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/10/27/espana/1225092526.html  2008-Oct-27: 50 persons enter Melilla after storm breaks the Fence]
*{{cite web |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-09-10/razor-wire-separates-europe-africa-might-be-coming-down |title=The razor wire that separates Europe from Africa might be coming down }}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-02-13/big-beautiful-walls-dont-stop-migrants-us-and-europe |title='Big, beautiful' walls don't stop migrants in the US and Europe }}
*{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44485995 |title=Ceuta and Melilla: Spain wants rid of anti-migrant razor wire |work=BBC News |date=14 June 2018 }}
*{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaILY9TG-fQ |title=How a border wall works in Melilla, Spain, a gateway between Europe and Africa 2019|website=[[YouTube]] }}
* [https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.06/border_wars.html Attacking The New Border Wars]
* Melilla border fence photo gallery: [https://web.archive.org/web/20060108114135/http://home.pages.at/maxifant/Frames/melilla-karte-sm.jpg 1] [http://www.repubblica.it/2005/i/sezioni/esteri/melilla/subsah/ap_6901850_31220.jpg 2]  [http://www.worldpress.org/images/20051026-spain-melilla.jpg 6] [http://images.virgilio.it/sg/notizie/upload/mel/melilla8_V0.jpg 7] [https://web.archive.org/web/20090705025855/http://colombia.indymedia.org/uploads/2005/10/melilla.jpg 8]  [http://gfx.dagbladet.no/pub/artikkel/4/44/447/447462/melilla.hovXap.jpg 9] [http://www.20minutos.es/data/img/2005/10/04/237405.jpg 10] [http://www.all4all.org/images/2005/10/2148.jpg 11] [http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/10/06/um/melilla.jpg 12]

{{Melilla}}
{{European migrant crisis}}
{{Borders of Spain}}
{{Borders of Morocco}}
[[Category:Border barriers]]
[[Category:Morocco–Spain border]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Melilla]]
[[Category:European migrant crisis]]
[[Category:21st century in Melilla]]
[[Category:2005 in Spain]]
[[Category:2005 in Morocco]]
[[Category:2005 disasters in Morocco]]