Surge of Migrants: Spain's African Exclave Sounds the Alarm

Here's what it's all about

• The arrival of at least 1,500 migrants within a few days in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa has put local authorities on high alert.
• According to media reports, many of the new arrivals are minors and children.
• The regional government called on the central government to declare a national state of emergency and deploy the Spanish military to the border with Morocco.
• According to the news agency "Europa Press" and other media outlets, the influx of migrants continued on Thursday evening.
• On Wednesday and Thursday, the Spanish police force, the Guardia Civil, discovered the bodies of a total of ten people who are believed to have attempted to swim to Ceuta in recent days.

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The arrival of at least 1,500 migrants within a few days in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa has put local authorities on high alert. Many minors and children are among the arrivals, reported the state-run TV station RTVE. The regional government called on the central government to declare a national state of emergency and deploy the Spanish military to the border with Morocco. According to the news agency “Europa Press” and other media outlets, the influx of migrants continued on Thursday evening.

Madrid does not intend to declare a state of emergency, but has meanwhile ordered the deployment of army units stationed in Ceuta to support border officials, as reported by the newspaper “El País” and other media outlets this evening, citing government sources. This measure had already been taken in Ceuta during the migration crisis in May 2021. According to “El País,” a total of 120 military personnel are involved.

Dangerous Journey to Ceuta: Thousands of people swam to the Spanish exclave on Thursday.

Keystone/AP Photo/Antonio Sempere

Earlier that afternoon, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had posted on Platform X that the government was “pulling out all the stops to respond immediately to the situation in Ceuta,” but he had not provided any further details. That evening, the government in Madrid announced that Sánchez would travel to Ceuta on Friday.

Opposition Blames Central Government

Opposition leader Alberto Nuñez Feijóo of the conservative People's Party (PP) described the situation as "desperate." On X, he sharply criticized Socialist politician Sánchez, saying that the government must "not look the other way, because we are in the midst of a national security crisis."

According to RTVE, the Ministry of the Interior has ruled out declaring a state of emergency. Under current civil protection regulations, migration flows are not considered among the risks for which the national civil protection system is designed. Spain and Morocco have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in managing migration flows. In addition, the ministry stated that all individuals who entered Ceuta illegally should be repatriated as quickly as possible.

Migrants are running through the streets, cheering

According to official reports, the migrants have arrived in Ceuta in recent days—and also on Thursday—primarily by swimming, as RTVE and others reported, citing regional authorities. The area has a population of just under 85,000. As early as Wednesday, Ceuta’s regional president, Juan Jesús Vivas, had stated that the reception facilities were completely overwhelmed. Hundreds of migrants were forced to spend the night on the streets.

Videos and photos showed mostly young men, but also families with women and children, making their way over the boulders that form part of the artificial barrier intended to mark and secure the border between Ceuta and Morocco. You can also see people running jubilantly through the streets, shouting “Viva España!” and other slogans. “There are many items on the beaches that the migrants used during the crossing, including swim rings, fins, and wetsuits,” reported RTVE.

Dozens Die While Trying to Reach Spanish Territory

Not everyone who wants to enter the EU makes it: On Wednesday and Thursday, the Spanish police force, the Guardia Civil, discovered the bodies of a total of ten people who had presumably attempted to swim to Ceuta in recent days. Vivas had previously stated that around 60 bodies of migrants had already been recovered over the past twelve months.

The EU offered Spain support. Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner “expressed the EU’s willingness to provide Spain with increased support—including through Frontex—to bring the situation under control,” he announced that evening on the X platform. Protecting the EU’s external borders is “an essential part of our efforts to combat illegal migration.”

In 2021, more than 8,000 people stormed into the exclave

The images bring back memories of the events five years ago. In May 2021, more than 8,000 people stormed into the exclave from Morocco within 36 hours. At the time, Madrid accused Rabat of “blackmail.” It was believed that border controls had been relaxed or even suspended in order to put pressure on Madrid in the dispute over Western Sahara.

The conflict at that time stemmed from a dispute over the former Spanish colony, which is largely controlled by Morocco and claimed by the Polisario Front, an independence movement, for its own state. In 2021, Spain had admitted the Polisario leader for medical treatment on humanitarian grounds, a move that caused intense displeasure in Rabat.

Were the restrictions eased to send a message to Madrid?

Relations did not begin to improve until 2022, after Sánchez described Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara as “the most serious” basis for a solution. Since then, Madrid and Rabat have resumed closer cooperation on migration and security issues.

Some media outlets are now speculating about a possible connection to Sánchez’s trip to Algeria last week. Morocco and Algeria have been locked in an irreconcilable standoff over the Western Sahara dispute for years. Some believe it is possible that Rabat may have eased its police checks at the border with Ceuta in order to send a political signal to Madrid. However, there is no evidence of this so far.

Although Morocco gained independence from France and Spain in 1956, Spain still has two exclaves there: Ceuta on the Strait of Gibraltar and Melilla, located 250 kilometers further east. Morocco claims both territories. Near both territories, thousands of Africans—primarily from sub-Saharan countries—often wait for an opportunity to enter the EU. Often, several hundred people at a time attempt to catch border officials off guard.