Spain's Ceuta overwhelmed as thousands remain after migrant border rush

CEUTA, Spain, Aug 3 - Hundreds of migrants set up camp on a beach in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta on Monday as local authorities struggled to cope with the thousands still in the tiny territory after a massive border rush last week.

Spain estimates that about 69,500 migrants have returned to Morocco over the past four days, exceeding initial estimates of around 50,000 arrivals in Ceuta on Thursday. The official death toll on the Spanish side of the border stands at 72, with 11 deaths on the Moroccan side.

Many said they left as shop closures had left them without food, they encountered hostility from locals and they were unable to travel on to the Spanish mainland.

Ceuta and Spain's other North African enclave, Melilla, sit on Morocco's Mediterranean coast and periodically face attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe.

Reuters video showed scores of migrants, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa, lying on the sand of El Trampolin beach. Many were wrapped in towels to shield from the wind, while army and police vehicles patrolled the road behind them.

Ceuta's leader Juan Jesus Vivas told broadcaster Telecinco between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remained in the enclave, adding that its two migrant reception centres — one for adults and another for minors — had "collapsed".

Local official Alberto Gaitan said the city was processing 862 migrant minors, who enjoy special legal protections from deportation.

DIPLOMATIC FALLOUT

The crisis has fuelled anti-immigration rhetoric throughout Europe and sparked diplomatic tensions within the European Union over border policy, with Spain accusing some partners of an unhelpful and polarising response.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Monday that Spain had previously supported other EU countries during migration crises and now expected reciprocal backing.

The bloc has called an emergency video conference meeting of interior ministers to discuss the crisis on Tuesday.

Albares sharply criticised Italy's government, accusing it of helping amplify misinformation.

He said Morocco had immediately offered police support and had not attached conditions to its cooperation, allowing for the rapid return of most of those who crossed.

But Ceuta's Vivas was critical of Rabat, saying there was a widespread perception within Ceuta that it had allowed — if not orchestrated — the crisis.

"Morocco has shown us that it isn't reliable. There's no alternative but to put in place whatever means are necessary to ensure it cannot do this again," Vivas told newspaper El Pais.

Morocco's Interior Ministry on Sunday blamed the surge on misinformation on social media, human trafficking networks and misinterpretation of a Spanish court ruling banning immediate returns of migrants intercepted at sea. That was in line with Madrid's official view.

INTELLIGENCE SERVICES UNDER SCRUTINY

According to reports by El Pais and Cadena SER radio, citing officials familiar with the matter, Spanish intelligence services have concluded that Morocco did not plan the mass crossing, but allowed it to happen.

Moroccan border controls were gradually relaxed during July and were allegedly removed as crowds surged toward the Tarajal crossing during Morocco's Throne Day holiday, the reports said.

Morocco's Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In its Sunday statement, it said Morocco is "committed to strengthening international cooperation and coordination in combating irregular migration and human trafficking".

Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters on Saturday the foreign intelligence agency CNI, controlled by the Defence Ministry, did not warn him of an imminent surge. El Pais said on Monday that had caused tensions between the two ministries.

An Interior Ministry spokesperson downplayed the reported tensions.

Defence Minister Margarita Robles declined to say whether the CNI had any prior intelligence of the mass crossing, adding its work was secret and praising the "exceptional" work of Spanish security services personnel. REUTERS