Thousands of migrants still in Ceuta after border crisis, local leader says
The Spanish territory's mayor-president also says 100 deaths occurred as a result of 78,000 migrants crossing from neighbouring Morocco.
Between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in the Spanish territory of Ceuta, following the arrival of a much larger number of people last week. The exclave's leader, Juan Jesús Vivas, expressed deep sorrow over the 100 deaths that occurred during the roughly 78,000 migrants' arrival by sea from Morocco. The crisis has strained relations between EU nations with open borders and sparked criticism of Spain's government response.
Spain's interior minister has allocated €25m to assist migrant children, but volunteer groups have found the situation unsustainable, with 4,860 children registered by volunteers - double the official estimates. Spain has deployed armed forces to Ceuta, and the EU's Migration Commissioner suggested criminal networks may be behind the mass crossings.
The incident is seen as an "unequivocal attack" by Vivas, who fears it could happen again. Spain and Morocco have a long history of diplomatic contention over the exclaves, and the EU is considering measures to secure cooperation from Morocco on the migration issue.
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- Ceuta seeks transfer of more than 1,000 child migrants to mainland Spain thenationalnews.com
- EU discusses extra financial support for Spain after record Ceuta migrant surge euronews.com
- Some 100 dead following Moroccan migrant border rush into Spain, Ceuta leader says jpost.com
- Thousands of migrants still in Ceuta after border crisis, local leader says bbc.co.uk
