Massive Migrant Influx into Ceuta and Melilla
The Moroccan Ministry of the Interior announced on Sunday that approximately 40,000 individuals attempted to reach the city of Ceuta through irregular crossings, resulting in the tragic deaths of 11 people. This marks the first official statement from the Moroccan government regarding the recent events that unfolded at the border points leading to the Spanish-administered cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
In a video statement released on Sunday evening, ministry spokesperson Rashid Khalfi detailed that the actual number of migrants aiming for Ceuta was around 40,000, while about 1,135 individuals were headed towards Melilla. He confirmed that all those who managed to reach Melilla at that time were promptly returned to Morocco.
Factors Behind the Recent Migrant Crisis
According to Khalfi, the events led to one accidental death from falling off a rocky area near Ceuta, alongside ten fatalities attributed to drowning. He emphasized that the data collected and analyzed indicated that these occurrences were not merely the result of spontaneous or circumstantial factors but were instead the outcome of a complex interplay of several interrelated issues. Among the primary contributing factors, he pointed to the malicious exploitation of digital platforms to disseminate misleading information, the role of human trafficking networks, and misinterpretations of legal and administrative data that aimed to create a false impression of easy access to Europe without legal repercussions.
Khalfi further explained that recent judicial decisions by Spanish authorities, which restricted the immediate repatriation of certain irregular migrants intercepted at sea, have led some hopeful crossers to believe they could evade instant return. This belief has fostered a prevalent trend of swimming across the Strait as a perceived method to increase their chances of avoiding immediate deportation.
On the issue of additional reported fatalities in Ceuta, Khalfi stated that Moroccan authorities are actively engaged in verifying these claims in cooperation with their Spanish counterparts, aiming to establish the true number of individuals involved, their identities, and nationalities, to facilitate the necessary legal, administrative, and humanitarian processes.
Spanish media have reported that the number of bodies recovered from the waters near Ceuta has risen to 88. The newspaper El País indicated that local authorities have prepared the city's morgue to accommodate up to 200 bodies amidst ongoing search and recovery operations following the latest wave of irregular migration. Spanish security sources revealed that approximately 69,500 irregular migrants who entered Ceuta in recent days have been returned to Morocco.
In response to the rising attempts at irregular crossings, Spanish authorities have completed the installation of a floating security barrier stretching 500 meters at the Tarajal border crossing, aimed at curbing attempts to cross from the Moroccan side. In recent days, tens of thousands of Moroccans have gathered around the border fence with Ceuta, hoping to reach the city and ultimately Europe through illegal means.
As reported by aljazeera.net.
