A survivor's account of the Melilla massacre

"Friday of Death" is a vivid and personal testimony of the massacre that claimed the lives of dozens of migrants, most from Sudan and Chad, at the Melilla border fence on 24 July 2022. It is the first literary work to recount the tragedy from the perspective of a survivor: al-Hafiz Tarjok, who later reached the UK and was granted asylum. 

Published in Arabic by Ruaa Publishing House in December, Tarjok describes the book as "a realistic account based on something I lived through with my own body and soul."

Tarjok, 26, was born in El Fasher, North Darfur. In the book, he blends Standard Arabic with Sudanese Arabic. He was supported by Sudanese novelist Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, who guided his writing process, and by Omar Naji, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, who helped verify information about those killed, missing or imprisoned during the events. 

The story begins in Nouadhibou, on the border between Mauritania and the Moroccan-controlled territory of Western Sahara, where dozens of Sudanese—most of them "Ginkgo", a Sudanese term for seasonal labourers—gather in the hope of making it to the Melilla border fence and crossing into Europe. Since 2021, Morocco has become an alternative route for Sudanese migrants aiming to reach Europe, ostensibly avoiding the dangers of the Libyan route. 

After weeks of gruelling labour to save for travel expenses, Tarjok and five companions set off on a treacherous journey across the desert, facing hunger, thirst and military dogs. After being separated from his friends, Tarjok continues alone with torn shoes, hiding in desert villages until he reaches the village of Bir Gandouz and, eventually, the city of Dakhla on the Atlantic coast. 

Arriving in Dakhla was not the end of his suffering. Life there brought new hardships—homelessness, exhausting jobs, unpredictable treatment from locals, and repeated attempts to cross the border that ended in repression or forced transfers to remote cities. 

"We Ginkgo, the nails of the earth, sleep in the streets and spend our days searching for work. We try to save enough money to make another attempt at the Spanish border," Tarjok says of the year and a half he spent there.

Planning a mass crossing

After repeated individual attempts to cross the fence failed, the Ginkgo began organizing into groups spread across eight Moroccan cities, all coordinated by a central leadership based in Casablanca. Each group had a leader, deputy, treasurer and logistics officer. Together, they drew up a concrete plan for a mass crossing.  

The plan included selecting secret gathering points (called Tarkina), training members to observe Moroccan border guards, securing food supplies, and transporting migrants in small groups to the Tarkina via public transportation. 

To enforce discipline, the Ginkgo leadership established a unit known as "the Mafia". To reach the Tarkina, Tarjok had to sell his clothes and food. He joined dozens of others in the northeast of Morocco, the region surrounding the Melilla border crossing, and waited for the designated time to attempt the crossing. His specific task would be to open the border gate from the Moroccan side. 

In mid-June 2022, clashes erupted near the border between migrants and Moroccan security forces, forcing the Ginkgo to seek refuge in nearby forests. "We wouldn't give up so easily. We came from our countries with a goal we intend to fulfil," Tarjok says. The Ginkgo were determined not to retreat, but the Moroccan forces were well-prepared. On June 24, a massacre unfolded, leaving 27 people dead and dozens arrested, according to the Moroccan Association for Human Rights. 

Tarjok describes the scene: "It was like a battle. The Ginkgo fell from rubber bullets that hit the eyes and deadly blows to the head that knocked people unconscious instantly."

The ordeal didn't end there. Survivors, including the author, were subjected to physical and psychological torture. "I was just a migrant, but they treated me like a war criminal," he told Qantara. "I almost lost my sight. I saw my friends die before my eyes."

Tarjok felt compelled to document his experience: "I didn’t care if my book would be considered a piece of literature. I just didn’t want my part in those events to be meaningless."

A call for justice

After surviving the massacre, Tarjok remained in Morocco for a time. He worked menial jobs and had all but given up on reaching Europe. Eventually, he resumed his migration journey, this time through Tunisia.  

In August 2023, he crossed to the Italian island of Lampedusa, travelled through Italian cities, and then made a secret journey over the mountains into France. From there, he reached Calais and eventually arrived in the UK, where he was granted asylum. 

"I had no other choice. Returning (to Sudan) was impossible," he says, referring to the brutal war raging in Sudan, which has displaced millions both internally and externally. To those fleeing the conflict, he offers this advice in his book: "migration without a clear goal is a slow suicide."

At the same time, he still thinks of the companions he lost during the Melilla events. "My message to the world is that migrants are dying every day in North Africa, far from the spotlight. The Moroccan and Spanish authorities must be held accountable. Justice must be served. The detainees must be released."

This text is an edited translation of the Arabic original.