About 60,000 migrants broke into Spanish Ceuta from Morocco, 34 dead - Spain and the EU reacted
Kyiv • UNN
About 60,000 migrants reached Spanish Ceuta from Morocco, 34 people died. Spain deployed the army, Prime Minister Sanchez called it an attack on territorial integrity.
About 60,000 migrants have crossed the border from Morocco and reached Spain's North African territory of Ceuta since yesterday, with the death toll reaching 34, the local governor told Sky News, reports UNN.
Details
"The total number of migrants who crossed the line since yesterday has risen to 60,000," the local governor of Ceuta told Sky News.
He also confirmed that the death toll from the border crossings has reached 34 people.
Juan Jesús Vivas, the president of Ceuta, as reported by RTVE Noticias, estimating that 60,000 people illegally entered the city, stated: "The response was late and insufficient. The situation in Ceuta is absolutely unsustainable."
Spanish officials had previously stated that an estimated 50,000 migrants crossed the enclave in the last 24 hours. The apparent temporary collapse of the territory's border has led to a wave of condemnation from European leaders.
Prior to this, officials, as noted by the BBC, estimated that in the last 24 hours about 49,000 migrants crossed the border from Morocco into Spain's North African territory of Ceuta by land and sea.
Before the governor released the new figure, it was known that 27 people died while attempting to cross the border in Ceuta, as reported by local authorities to Sky News. Rachid Sbihin, head of an association representing Spanish Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, previously stated that many people drowned, while others died in the crush.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the situation an "attack" and a "violation" and said the government is working to return all illegal migrants to Morocco "as soon as possible."
This came after Spain's Supreme Court ruled this month that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish exclave, cannot be immediately returned to Morocco.
Videos and images show thousands of people swimming into the city on Thursday, while local media reported that crossings continued through the night.
Ceuta, located on the northern coast of Morocco, is separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar and has long been a focal point for migrants trying to reach Europe.
Local officials appealed to Madrid for help after a recent surge in attempted border crossings, but chaotic scenes were observed on Thursday as border control apparently failed, notes the BBC.
El Mundo reported, in particular, on a "massive breach at the Beni-Enzar border crossing, the main route connecting Morocco with Melilla."
The striking estimate of the number of migrants by Spanish officials, it is noted, suggests that the number of migrants who entered Ceuta in the last day or so could be more than half the city's population, which, according to the latest local data, stands at about 83,600 people.
Spain later deployed its armed forces to reinforce security in Ceuta and in the sister city of Melilla, where between 300 and 400 border crossings were also recorded overnight.
What Sánchez said
Speaking on Friday, Prime Minister Sánchez condemned the border crossings and said it was an attack on Spain's territorial integrity.
"What happened yesterday was an attack, a violation of Spain's territorial integrity," said Sánchez, as quoted by Sky News.
"The Spanish government will use all state resources to guarantee the security of Ceuta," he added.
The Spanish Prime Minister stated that since yesterday, Madrid has been accelerating the repatriation of migrants who illegally entered Ceuta. In coordination with the authorities of Ceuta, the central government has prepared a temporary center to facilitate the documentation of people for the repatriation of migrants who illegally entered the Spanish enclave, Sánchez explained.
Sánchez added that the government will consider strengthening the border with Morocco. The Spanish Civil Guard will also place buoys on the breakwater to create a deterrent barrier.
He said that the Moroccan authorities are cooperating on plans to return those who illegally entered the territories.
Many of those crossing the border from Morocco were young people, mostly men, although there were also women and children, and even infants, in the crowds, the BBC reports.
According to officials' estimates, at least 7,000 of those who illegally crossed the territory in the last 24 hours are minors.
Usually, to try to reach Ceuta, migrants swim several kilometers further along the coast. This time, they seem to have managed to approach the border fence itself easily. Initially, some even walked along the rocks on the pier and bypassed it, but most had to swim around to reach the beaches on the other side.
It is unclear where the Moroccan border guards were at that moment and why the groups of migrants were not dispersed or stopped.
The sudden influx of people on Thursday came after several days of an increase in the number of arrivals swimming to Ceuta. It appears that word of their success spread quickly, notes the BBC.
The last surge in arrivals, though far from this scale, was observed in 2021. At that time, Moroccan authorities allowed about 8,000 people to cross the border after a dispute with Madrid over the sovereignty of Western Sahara.
This diplomatic dispute flared up again recently after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Algeria, which supports the region's independence.
Spain's Interior Ministry said it is cooperating with Morocco to ensure the return of all those who illegally crossed the border into its territory "as soon as possible."
Sanchez is due to visit Ceuta later on Friday.
EU Reaction
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni commented very quickly on the events in Ceuta, calling the images from there "shocking" and writing on social media that such "uncontrolled immigration" is a threat to Europe's security.
She said Italy would consider suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain on free movement, although it is unclear what that means in practice, given that the two countries are not neighbors and undocumented migrants are unlikely to board flights.
Italy's Foreign Ministry later clarified its response, calling for a suspension of the Schengen Agreement with Spain at the border between Italy and Spain, rather than a complete exclusion of Spain from the agreement.
In any case, the migrants who arrived in Ceuta are now stuck there, not on mainland Spain, the BBC points out.
Her comments echoed similar remarks by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, whose Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares, accused of using immigration as a weapon for political purposes.
Spain's Foreign Minister said such remarks are "inappropriate" for "a partner and friendly country from which we expect European solidarity, not partisan demagoguery."
He also summoned Italy's ambassador in Madrid on Friday.
Finland's Interior Minister Mari Rantanen supported Meloni's proposal and stated that Spain had failed to protect its border.
Germany also began to react. "We must now urgently talk to Morocco together with Spain and other EU countries. Only with the help of our southern neighbor can we prevent a new large-scale migration flow into Europe," said Günter Krings, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, in an interview with BILD.
He also called for strengthening border controls, while German police union representative Manuel Osterstein demanded that the federal police prepare for a possible increase in the number of migrants.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took a firm stance on the situation at the Morocco-Ceuta border.
"The images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable. We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without respecting our rules. Dangerous border crossings must be stopped immediately. Illegal migrant smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow. I have instructed two commissioners to help monitor the situation,"
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, according to her, is "already working closely with Spain and is ready to travel to critical points." He will work on additional operational support for Spain, including through Frontex, she added.
EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica "is in contact with her Moroccan counterpart," von der Leyen said.
"I am confident that our close partnership with Morocco will help achieve concrete results," the President of the European Commission stressed.