RABAT, Jan 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Migrants threw stones that injured an officer and damaged police vehicles during an operation to remove them from an illegal camp in Casablanca, local media reported.
Police questioned six migrants from sub-Saharan Africa suspected of involvement in the violence towards the officers, the reports said.
Located at Africa’s northwestern tip, Morocco is a transit country for many migrants, particularly sub-Saharan Africans. Fleeing poverty and violence, they seek to reach Europe from the kingdom’s Atlantic or Mediterranean coasts.
News website Hespress said suspects “threw stones at public security agents” trying to clear the unauthorised camp.
Public broadcaster SNRT reported on its website the injury to one officer and damage to five police vehicles.
It was not immediately possible to obtain police confirmation about the reported incidents.
Images on social media showed migrants throwing stones and chasing police officers.
The area on the edge of Casablanca is periodically the scene of tensions between authorities and migrants living in scattered, unsanitary camps.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) denounced police “violence” during the operation.
In a Facebook post, the rights group accused authorities of sending “back to Casablanca” migrants apprehended in other regions. — NNN-AGENCIES