Spain: Nearly All Migrants Leave Ceuta After Border Surge Kills 67
Theo Al Jazeera English
Spain says nearly all of the estimated 60,000 migrants who surged into Ceuta have returned to Morocco, but at least 67 died during the attempt. The crisis has sparked EU concerns and tough responses from neighboring countries.
Spain's Foreign Ministry said on October 7 that nearly all of the estimated 60,000 migrants who had entered the North African enclave of Ceuta by land and sea in recent days have voluntarily left the area.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares wrote on social media platform X on the evening of October 6: "Almost all those who entered Ceuta have returned to Morocco."
Spanish authorities said the death toll among those trying to enter Ceuta had risen to at least 67 as of October 7, with more casualties possible on the Moroccan side of the border. Some were confirmed to have died by drowning, while others were crushed while trying to scale the breakwater that holds the border fence.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who visited Ceuta on October 6, called the border surge "a violation of Spain's territorial sovereignty." Spain announced it is installing barriers along the breakwater extending into the sea.
Spain's Interior Ministry said about 50,000 people had crossed the border since the morning of October 5, with an estimated 48,300 having returned by 6:00 p.m. on October 6. Juan Jesus Vivas, head of Ceuta's local government, said up to 60,000 people had poured through the area in recent days.
The mass influx of migrants has worried European Union (EU) governments, particularly those in the Schengen area, a bloc of 29 countries that have abolished border controls for travel between member states.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on October 6 described the images from Ceuta as "unacceptable," while French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said France would tighten its border with Spain.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni threatened to suspend the Schengen agreement's open-border policy with Spain "to protect borders and ensure the safety of citizens," despite Italy not sharing a border with Spain.
On October 6, Moroccan riot police used tear gas and water cannons at the border in the area to disperse crowds gathered near the fence and push them back.
Ceuta, along with Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in North Africa, is the EU's only land border with Africa. Both cities regularly see waves of illegal crossings by people seeking to migrate to Europe.
To reach Ceuta, migrants often swim from Morocco's Fnideq, a distance of about 5 kilometers. Others attempt to cross from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.
Ceuta's authorities link the rise in border crossings to a ruling by Spain's Supreme Court earlier this month that barred authorities from immediately deporting migrants who arrive by sea. The ruling does not apply to migrants entering Spain by land, including by climbing over the border fence.
Prime Minister Sanchez said the migrant wave was driven by human trafficking groups spreading rumors about the court ruling. However, activists in Morocco cast doubt on this explanation, arguing that most migrants would be unaware of such legal decisions.
A young Moroccan man from Tangier told Reuters: "Honestly, I don't even know why I came here, and now I'm heading back. I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon, even though I had some money with me... What we are doing is neither good nor fun."
Although the crossing route appeared to be blocked by late October 6, many migrants continued moving along the coast, looking for a way around the fence. Brahim, 32, from Tangier, who had hoped to get through the gate but found the passage firmly closed, said: "I arrived too late."
