The city of Ceuta is currently experiencing one of the largest waves of irregular migration recorded in recent years, with over a thousand migrants attempting to swim from the Moroccan coast to its shores. This mass influx has triggered a state of security and humanitarian alert, alongside local warnings regarding the city’s diminishing capacity to accommodate and shelter these individuals.
According to the Spanish newspaper "El Faro de Ceuta," Moroccan Royal Navy patrols and the Spanish Civil Guard’s maritime forces participated on Wednesday morning in rescuing approximately a thousand individuals from the sea after they jumped into the waters in a desperate attempt to reach Ceuta's beaches. This incident followed the rescue of around 600 migrants the previous day, prompting the Civil Guard to characterize these figures as "breaking all records."
Reports indicate that the migrants originate from various Maghreb and African nationalities, with a significant portion being Moroccan, along with Algerians and individuals from sub-Saharan countries. Efforts to cross the strait have primarily concentrated in areas such as Tarajal, Juan 23, Rento, and Sarchal, where groups of men, women, and children have arrived on the shores in close succession.
Local media published images depicting Civil Guard boats and rescue patrols laden with migrants, while police units were deployed throughout the city to collect those who managed to reach land and escape points of entry. On the Moroccan side, authorities have closed parts of the coastal strip near Fnideq and erected barriers to prevent gatherings of individuals attempting to swim to Ceuta. Additionally, some beaches have been evacuated, and individuals intercepted were relocated to areas further from the border. However, these measures have not deterred hundreds, including minors and entire families, from congregating in hopes of seizing an opportunity to enter the water. One alarming incident involved a mother attempting to cross with her three children before they were rescued from drowning.
This surge has placed unprecedented pressure on the temporary migrant accommodation center in occupied Ceuta, where numerous newcomers have had to sleep outside due to a lack of available space. The number of minors under the city’s care has skyrocketed from 180 to 472 in just ten days, resulting in an overcrowding rate of 1,600 percent compared to its normal capacity.
Juan Vivas, the President of the local government in Ceuta, stated that over 1,500 migrants have arrived during this recent wave, averaging more than 200 individuals per day. He warned that if the influx continues, the city could revert to a situation akin to the crisis of May 2021. Vivas has called on Madrid to expedite the relocation of both adults and minors to other regions in Spain, to provide additional financial support, to bolster security forces, and to consider establishing a unified command to manage the crisis.
He has also urged the central government to enhance diplomatic efforts with Morocco and to amend immigration laws following a Supreme Court ruling on July 8, which prohibited the immediate return of migrants who swim across, limiting it to cases involving breaches of physical border barriers.
Officials and security unions believe that this ruling has encouraged crossing attempts, while humanitarian organizations argue that the phenomenon is also tied to poverty, the quest for safety, and opportunities for a better life. In response to the Moroccan Royal Navy's participation in rescue operations, Carlos Escribano, director of the Ceuta and Melilla Observatory, accused Morocco of using migration pressure as a political tool against Spain and the European Union. This remains a politically charged analysis lacking official data to substantiate claims of a Moroccan decision to push migrants towards the sea.
The new crisis places increasing security, social, and financial burdens on Madrid, as Ceuta authorities demand that the issue be redefined from a local crisis to one for which the Spanish state and the European Union bear responsibility.
As reported by assahifa.com.
