BARCELONA: More than 300 people stormed the heavily fortified border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave Melilla in what authorities on Sunday called a mass “violent crossing.”

Some 209 migrants succeeded in reaching Spain in Saturday’s incident.

Spain’s two North African enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, are a common target for entry into the European Union by migrants who try to climb the border fences or enter the territories by sea.

One Civil Guard police officer was injured in an attack by a migrant, the Spanish government said.

Four of the migrants who reached Spain received treatment for injuries sustained during the crossing.

Meanwhile, Nigeria is starting flights to evacuate thousands of its citizens from Libya which will continue until all those wanting to return home have done so, its foreign minister said on Saturday.

Nigerians have recently been the largest national group among African migrants travelling to Libya and trying to cross from there to Italy by sea.

Since local armed factions and Libya’s coastguard began blocking more migrants from leaving in July last year, large numbers have been trapped in Libya, where they often face dire conditions and abuse, including forced labour.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has in recent months accelerated a “voluntary returns” programme to repatriate migrants from a number of countries. Nigeria now joins Niger in organising bilateral returns.

“The main objective, and we’re very focused on that objective, is to get these Nigerian citizens back home as quickly as possible,” Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyema told reporters during a visit to Tripoli.