Melilla border fence

The Melilla border fence forms part of the Morocco–Spain border in the area of Melilla. Constructed by Spain, its stated purpose is to stop illegal immigration and smuggling. Morocco has objected to the construction of the barrier since it does not recognise Spanish sovereignty in Melilla.Melilla is an integral part of Spain, and therefore of the European Union; its border and its equivalent in Ceuta are the only two land borders between the European Union and an African country.Recent historyIn September 2005 some thousands of 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. The 2005 events at the Melilla and Ceuta border fences are the subject of a documentary film, Victimes de nos richesses.Before the third fence came to be implemented following this and similar incidents, the mountainous buffer zone between Spanish and Moroccan border patrol positions that lies next to the fence registered hectic activity with African people provisionally camped there while preparing massive assaults on the fence, something which became a tactic in order to outnumber the Spanish border patrols.