Spain's Ceuta navigates aftermath of border surge as most migrants return home
Ceuta was returning to normal over the weekend after an unprecedented migrant surge that saw up to 60,000 people enter the tiny Spanish exclave from Morocco in just two days. But with at least 72 migrants dead and most arrivals having already returned to Morocco, residents were still grappling with the humanitarian, political and social fallout.
Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa, is returning to normal after an unprecedented migrant surge. Up to 60,000 people entered the tiny enclave from Morocco in just two days. Most of these migrants have since returned to Morocco, but the city of 84,000 residents is still grappling with the aftermath.
At least 72 migrants died during the surge, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier, according to Spanish authorities. The humanitarian crisis has reignited a debate around immigration in Europe and beyond. Some locals, such as Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, a waiter in Ceuta, blame the authorities for the situation, saying "if you open the border, of course everyone comes in, but the young men aren't to blame. The authorities are responsible."
The city's residents and tourists are once again filling the open-air terraces, restaurants, and cafes, but locals are still disagreeing on what caused the surge and who is to blame. Spanish civil guard ships continue to search for migrant bodies in the waters near the urban beach that was breached by the migrants. According to CBS News, some migrants who returned to Morocco described a border that was effectively open and said authorities did little as they watched thousands of people cross.
Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, CBS News, Punch Nigeria, Al Jazeera, Associated Press — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
