Morocco rounds up would-be immigrants to Spain after border incident

Hundreds of African migrants taken to Algerian border

The Moroccan police have rounded up hundreds of African migrants camped out on the hillsides outside of the Spanish enclave of Melilla over the last week following an attempt to rush the border crossing by more than 450 people, of whom around 60 made it into Spanish territory.

The Spanish authorities said in the aftermath of the incident that there were around a thousand Africans living in appalling conditions in the forests and hills outside Melilla.

In response, the Moroccan police raided the area, detaining men and women, putting them aboard buses and taking them to the Algerian border, where they will once again begin their journey through Morocco in a bid to get into Spain.

Spain has boosted security at its border between Melilla and Morocco over the last week.