Protests over security in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta escalated into violent clashes with the Spanish military on Thursday, a month after a mass influx of migrants from Morocco.
Residents of Ceuta, which is just 18 square kilometres (seven square miles) in size, have held several demonstrations over what they say are security and hygiene problems linked to the influx.
The latest demonstration drew thousands of people late Wednesday and ended in clashes after police fired tear gas to prevent confrontations with migrants camping on a beach, according to Spanish media reports.
Hours later, in the early hours of Thursday, a military vehicle carrying four soldiers was “ambushed” by about 70 migrants, who attacked it with stones and other objects, a police spokesman in Ceuta told AFP.
The soldiers fled and called for police assistance. Police detained 12 migrants, all Moroccan, the spokesman said.
One soldier suffered minor injuries after being struck by a stone. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.
“The tension in the city of Ceuta is very high” because there is “no response” from the government and “we feel abandoned,” Kissy Chandiramani, the autonomous city’s finance councillor, told news radio SER Thursday.
But she also appealed for calm, saying people had the right to protest but warning that growing hostility would not resolve the crisis.
Working ‘without rest’
More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta in late July, swimming or crossing on foot from neighbouring Morocco in a chaotic influx that left scores dead and fuelled fresh tensions within the European Union over migration.
Although the vast majority returned to Morocco immediately afterward, thousands remain in the territory, many living rough on the streets.
Spain’s left-wing government puts the figure at between 3,500 and 7,000, while Ceuta’s right-wing leaders say it is at least 10,000.
Some Ceuta residents have told Spanish media they are afraid to walk alone on the streets or do not let their children leave their homes.
Justice Minister Félix Bolaños appealed for calm, telling lawmakers in Madrid that authorities were working “without rest” to restore normality to the territory.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has faced mounting criticism from Ceuta’s authorities and residents, who say Madrid reacted too slowly to the mass arrival.
The government has in recent days moved to expand shelter for migrants and speed up efforts to determine who can be returned to Morocco.
‘Worsening everyday’
The Interior Ministry said Thursday it would send additional personnel to help identify migrants, while the government approved 25 million euros in additional funding to help care for unaccompanied minors, who are entitled to special legal protections.
To speed up the response, Spain’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved the creation of a “single command” for Ceuta, to be led by Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres.
The crisis has also intensified Spain’s political divisions ahead of a general election expected next year, with conservative and far-right opposition parties calling for the return of all migrants.
But the government has warned that each individual must be identified to determine whether they are entitled to asylum or subject to deportation, while thousands of minors require special protection.
“I understand that there are people who say they should be returned now,” Torres said Wednesday during a visit to Ceuta. “But we have to do it respecting the law.”
Sanchez has also come under fire for going ahead with his summer vacation while the crisis festered, and convening his national security council to discuss the situation only after he returned earlier this week.
“People in Ceuta have been putting up with this alone for a month,” the head of the main opposition Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, wrote on X on Thursday.
“Nothing was done to prevent the invasion … and nothing is being done to stop the public-order crisis that is worsening every day,” he added.
Article by Antonio Sempere with Diego Urdaneta in Madrid
