While history has shown border fences to be largely ineffective at keeping out immigrants, Spain, apparently, now plans to join the ranks of Israel and the U.S. by upgrading it's massive border fence system around the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. Intent on keeping African asylum-seekers out at any cost, the new 3rd wall will be the first of it's kind built in Europe since the Berlin Wall. Recently Spain has seen rushes of migrants willing to die crossing the barbed wire fences around the Spanish enclaves, Moroocon troops have even killed refugees there. And apparently, now, instead of shipping them back to their homeland (should they make it across) the Spanish Governement has just taken to abandoning them in the Moroccan desert to fend for themselves. | prev: at the border... 
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> Amnesty International condemns Spain
> Dying to get to the promised land
the fence is being improved, going up in height from 10 to 20 feet. I can't imagine it will make much difference, the ladders will simply get longer.
But it does mark a toughening of official policy. It's a sticking plaster solution though, not a cure - and everybody knows it.
Medieval siege
Nothing much will change until development brings more prosperity and more jobs to Africa - one of the great challenges of our times. This tiny land border feels a long way from Bob Geldof and Making Poverty History. But this I suppose is what that is all about.
For now we are left with the grainy pictures of the ladders being thrown against the fence, our modern version of the medieval siege. The bravest climb first, and take their leap into the unknown.
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