The Spanish government is taking decisive action to address the recent surge of migrants in Ceuta by deploying military forces to the area. This move comes after hundreds of individuals successfully entered the country’s North African territory from Morocco, with more reportedly en route.
Officials in Ceuta have confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) the recovery of nine migrant bodies from the sea, following a tragic attempt to swim into the enclave the previous day.
The influx of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla remains a contentious issue. Thousands brave the journey across the border, highlighting the ongoing political tensions between Spain and Morocco.
Amidst these developments, Italy has called for Spain’s suspension from the Schengen Agreement, which permits passport-free travel across much of Europe. This proposition sparked dissent in Spain, leading to the Italian ambassador being summoned to Madrid for discussions.
Witnesses, including AFP journalists, observed a constant flow of adults and children, their clothes soaked, arriving in Ceuta after navigating the waters. Abandoned flotation devices and clothing dotted the coastline where the border meets the sea, underscoring the perilous journey undertaken by many.
“The armed forces will reinforce the Civil Guard in the exercise of its powers and any others that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta,” Spain’s interior ministry said.
It did not specify how many soldiers would be sent to the small territory of 18.5 square kilometres but said the Civil Guard’s strength there would be nearly doubled from the current level of 80.
It will also send diving teams and coastguard ships.
But what is Ceuta, and why do some migrants hoping to reach Europe go there?
Why did the migrants travel to Ceuta?
Though Morocco and Spain face each other across the narrow Strait of Gibraltar, the Spanish city of Ceuta actually lies on the Moroccan side of the waterway.
Ceuta is an autonomous city, one of a series of small Spanish outposts along the Moroccan coastline. These cities are referred to as “plazas de soberanía” or “strongholds of sovereignty”. Like its sister city Melilla, Ceuta is a popular target for African migrants hoping to gain entry to Europe.
Ceuta is fenced off and heavily policed to prevent Moroccan migrants arriving over land, but it does have a port and a beach. Thus, the fastest option for a migrant looking to make it into Spanish territory is to swim from a neighbouring town, follow the Moroccan coastline and approach Ceuta by water.
Because Morocco doesn’t recognise Spanish sovereignty in Ceuta, and strongly opposed the construction of the fence around the city in the first place, Spain faces waves of migrants with little local assistance.
Spain and Morocco have always enjoyed strong diplomatic ties and trade. However, the situation in Ceuta has created a politically fraught sentiment between the two nations where immigration is concerned.
Spain ‘profoundly wrong’ to grant citizenship, Italy says
The Schengen zone is a system of open borders spanning 29 European countries that have officially abolished controls at their common borders.
“I am in favour of closing the Schengen area with Spain,” Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani said in a post on X on Friday.
“Irregular and uncontrolled immigration poses a danger to national security,” he said.
“The images coming from Ceuta show how the Madrid government’s decision to grant Spanish, and therefore European, citizenship to over 500,000 irregular immigrants is profoundly wrong and encourages human trafficking,” he argued.
Spanish foreign minister José Luis Albares responded by accusing Tajani of weaponising immigration for political ends.
He said such remarks were “improper” for “a partner and friendly country from which we expect European solidarity and not partisan demagoguery”.
The Spanish leader of Ceuta, Juan Vivas, said on Wednesday that 1,500 migrants had come to the exclave by sea in recent days.
“There is no more room for anyone,” he told Spanish television.
On the Moroccan side of the border, an AFP reporter saw hundreds of people, including children, gathered on Thursday evening near the border between Ceuta and the local town of Fnideq, waiting to cross into the Spanish territory.
Several people on the road told AFP they wanted to reach Ceuta, including a young man from Tangier with a backpack who said he had heard “the border had been opened”.
Gathering in Morocco
Migrants walked through the streets of Ceuta, thanking the Spanish police and calling out: “Bye bye, Morocco, hello Spain.”
Police and civil guards in Ceuta appeared to do little to intervene, although some officers attempted to direct the arrivals to the local migrant reception centre.
“It really breaks my heart to see so many people suffering, and who knows how many have actually drowned along the way,” one young man, a local resident, told AFP.
“When they arrive, they’re faced with the harsh reality that they have nothing and that people treat them as if they were nobody.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a post on X that his government was “focused on providing an immediate response to the crisis in Ceuta”.
“We are mobilising all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normality as soon as possible.”
Sanchez spoke to Vivas, who described “with complete clarity and starkness the seriousness of the situation”, Ceuta’s regional government said in a statement.
Spanish interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska was to travel to Ceuta on Friday “to monitor the situation”, a ministry statement said.
Sánchez’s right-wing political rivals immediately pressured him on Thursday over the migrant arrivals.
“The government cannot look the other way regarding its duties because we are facing a national security crisis,” alleged opposition Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo on X.
Far-right Vox party leader Santiago Abascal blamed Sánchez personally for the migrant influx into Ceuta.
Ceuta and Melilla have Europe’s only two land borders with Africa.