New Delhi: Spain on Friday declared a “migrants’ emergency” after thousands of Moroccans, mostly African Muslims, breached the border, swam through waters, and ‘invaded’ the European country’s autonomous city of Ceuta, on the tip of the continental North Africa, taking towns midway by storm, the media reported.
Nearly 5,000 Moroccan Muslims ‘illegally’ streamed into Ceuta from Morocco, with 20 dying in the attempt, prompting Spain to deploy its military to restore the borders of its overseas territory on the tip of Africa.
Situated on the northern coast of Africa, Ceuta is viewed not as a European colony but as an autonomous Spanish city fully integrated into the nation of Spain and the European Union. It is administered just like other Spanish regions with local self-government, and is a part of the European Union, using the euro as currency.
However, Morocco, which does not officially recognize Ceuta, as well as another enclave called Melilla, claims the two territories and views them as lands occupied by Spain.
Videos and images from the frontier showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco onto local roads. The majority looked to be young men, though there were also families with women and children.
The escalation at the frontier comes after a surge in migrants attempting to reach the small exclave, mainly by swimming, on Thursday. It was not immediately clear what prompted so many people to cross into Ceuta.
Spain’s government said it would send its military to help the Civil Guard in Ceuta, which Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected to visit late on Friday.
Ceuta and the larger Spanish territory of Melilla that is some 400 kms east, are located on the northern shores of the Mediterranean coast at the tip of Africa. Both autonomous cities belong to Spain and share the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.
In Spanish possession since 1580, Ceuta is home to a mixed population of Christians and Muslims, and Spanish and Moroccan residents and day workers who live in relative harmony.
Flashpoint: Spain v/s Morocco
Ceuta, with a population of 85,000, has been a flashpoint in major diplomatic crises in recent memory between Madrid and Rabat.
In May 2021, the Moroccan government dropped its border controls and let some 8,000 people from Morocco and sub-Saharan countries pour into Ceuta in just two days. The move was broadly interpreted as retaliation from Morocco for Spain’s decision to allow a pro-independence leader from the disputed Western Sahara region to receive medical treatment at a Spanish hospital.
Tensions were defused and the border restored only after Spain’s Prime Minister shifted his country’s long-standing position on Western Sahara, and met with Moroccan king Mohammed VI the following year.
Destination to reach Europe
Spain is a main point of arrival into Europe for African migrants seeking better economic opportunities or an escape from violence in their home countries.
Ceuta and its sister city Melilla are heavily fortified, as the territories are seen as a destination for those trying to reach Spain from Morocco and other parts of Africa.
Many migrants who reach Ceuta or Melilla are immediately turned back, while others held in migrant shelters are processed and can apply for asylum in Spain.
To reach Ceuta, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 5 km to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.
Still, migrant arrivals to Ceuta and Melilla are generally much lower than those reaching Spain through the Canary and Balearic Islands.
Spain’s overall immigrant population has grown considerably in recent decades, with around 10 million people in the country of 50 million having been born elsewhere.
Many are from Colombia, Venezuela and Morocco, and work in key sectors of the Spanish economy, including agriculture, tourism and the service sector.