In the aftermath of a significant wave of migration to Ceuta, the remains of 60 migrants were laid to rest in the Sidi Mubarak cemetery within the Spanish enclave. The final burial took place on Monday, August 24, where 18 unidentified Moroccan migrants were interred in numbered graves. This has raised serious concerns, with various Moroccan associations urging a halt to the burial processes, hoping that the identities of the victims can be determined before their final resting place is sealed.
According to the local newspaper El Faro de Ceuta, the burials commenced following a tragic migration event that occurred at the end of July, which claimed at least 80 lives as reported by Madrid. However, Moroccan human rights organizations have contested this figure, claiming that over 140 migrants lost their lives during this crisis. On a single day, more than 72,000 migrants attempted to cross the border, though the majority were returned to Morocco by Spanish authorities.
Since the burials began on August 21, a total of 60 bodies connected to this migration surge have been interred in Ceuta's Sidi Mubarak cemetery. Each individual has been assigned a specific burial file, managed by the Civil Guard's judicial police, ensuring that if the identities are discovered in the future, there is a recorded location indicating where they were buried.
The presence of health department officials was noted during the burials, as they meticulously ensured that each body was registered with its corresponding grave number, facilitating any future identification efforts. The funeral services company 'Al-Qadr' was responsible for transporting the bodies from the military hospital's morgue to the cemetery and conducting the Islamic burial rites. Additionally, a video released by the newspaper depicted the funeral prayers and burial processes, showing the bodies of the migrants placed in white bags.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights has called for the cessation of burials in Ceuta until all possible avenues for identifying the victims have been exhausted, emphasizing the need for their remains to be returned to Morocco for dignified burial. They have urged the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that the bodies are repatriated to their families, describing the burials in Ceuta as a 'new human tragedy' that adds to the ongoing crisis of displacement and missing persons.
A spokesperson for the Ceuta city government stated last week that the necessary procedures for returning the migrants' remains had been completed, but Morocco had not accepted them. The Moroccan Foreign Ministry has yet to respond to inquiries from media outlets, including the Associated Press, regarding the burials that began last Friday or the claims that Rabat is obstructing the repatriation of identified migrants' remains. Despite the majority of migrants being returned to Morocco, thousands still remain in the Spanish city, prolonging the humanitarian crisis and highlighting the urgent responsibility of Spanish authorities to find immediate solutions, particularly in providing shelter and assistance.
As reported by infomigrants.net.
