Morocco reports 11 Ceuta deaths, sharply conflicting Spanish figures

A surge of migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, with thousands entering over a weekend. The city, home to 84,000 people, had returned to normal by Sunday, with most of the 60,000 migrants having walked back to Morocco. However, Spanish civil guard ships continued searching for migrant bodies in the waters near the beach where the migrants had breached.

The death toll from the surge is disputed, with Morocco reporting 11 migrant deaths and Spanish authorities reporting at least 72. The humanitarian crisis has reignited a debate around immigration in Europe. Locals in Ceuta are divided on what caused the surge and who is to blame.

The incident has also strained diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco, with the two countries having competing interests and narratives on the issue of Ceuta. Morocco has a historical claim to the city, while Spain considers it part of its territory. The situation in Ceuta is part of a larger strategic equation in the Western Mediterranean, involving Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Israel, and the United States.

Brief written by urgent.news from Euronews, Le Monde English, Channel News Asia, Jerusalem Post, Associated Press — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.