Humanitarian crisis in Ceuta as thousands of Moroccan migrants cross the Spanish border at the same time
The arrival of thousands of migrants follows a political agreement between Spain and Algeria.
Thousands of migrants from Morocco have crossed the border and reached the Spanish city of Ceuta, an enclave in the Moroccan coast. Most reached the Tarajal border swimming or in inflatable devices, and with security officers completely overpowered and having no choice but to open the gates to avoid a bottleneck and a tragedy, and reception centres already at full capacity since days ago, thousands of migrants are now wandering in the autonomous city, of 83,500 inhabitants.
Ceuta's authorities have asked the central government declaring national emergency in the zone, and the Spanish government has said they are "mobilizing all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normalcy as soon as possible".
The situation is not casual, but likely orchestrated by the Moroccan government as a retaliation tool against Spain, using their own citizens as weapons without caring that many die at the sea (60 deaths in the sea trying to cross the border in the last 12 months).
This week's events, exploding on Thursday, is similar to what happened in May 2021, when it is estimated that 8,000 immigrants crossed the border after Morocco intentionally relaxed security in the passage to Spain (claiming that their guards were "exhausted after celebrations at the end of Ramadan").
That year, Morocco sent those immigrants because the Spanish government had allowed the entrance of Western Sahrawi president Brahim Ghali to a hospital in Spain. This time, the massive arrival of migrants coincides with a recent visit of Spain's PM Pedro Sánchez to Algeria and a political agreement to increase gas imports; Algeria and Morocco broke diplomatic relationships over the sovereignty of Western Sahara, which Morocco claims and Algeria protests, supporting the Polisario Front.
