Ceuta struggles with influx of migrants amid ongoing border crisis
Hundreds of migrants set up camp on a beach in Spain’s North African exclave of Ceuta as local authorities grappled with the thousands still present in the territory following a massive border rush last week, reports BritPanorama.
Spain estimates that approximately 69,500 migrants have returned to Morocco over the past four days, a figure exceeding initial estimates of around 50,000 arrivals in Ceuta on Thursday. The official death toll on the Spanish side of the border currently stands at 72, with an additional 11 fatalities reported from Morocco.
Many migrants cited shop closures, hostility from local residents, and barriers to travel as reasons for their departure from Ceuta. Conditions reportedly deteriorated, with limited access to food and shelter.
Ceuta, along with Spain’s other North African exclave, Melilla, frequently witnesses attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe from Morocco’s Mediterranean coast.
Video footage from Reuters displayed numerous migrants, predominantly from sub-Saharan Africa, resting on El Trampolin beach, many wrapped in towels against the wind while local army and police units patrolled nearby.
Juan Jesus Vivas, Ceuta’s leader, informed broadcaster Telecinco that between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in the exclave, noting that the city’s two migrant reception centres, one for minors and another for adults, have reached capacity. “They have collapsed,” he remarked.
Local official Alberto Gaitan added that the city is processing 862 migrant minors, who are afforded specific legal protections against deportation.
The situation remains fluid as authorities contend with an ongoing humanitarian challenge, highlighting the complexity of migration issues in the region.
