Spain has asked the EU for help with migrants in Ceuta
Spain has asked the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) to assist with screening migrants in the North African enclave of Ceuta. The request came nearly a month after a mass crossing of the border from Morocco.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent a request to Beate Gminder, the European Commission’s Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs.
The Spanish side is requesting that Frontex be involved in screening migrants who are illegally present in Ceuta, as well as that an additional 10 agency staff members be deployed to the enclave.
According to Spanish authorities, there are currently between 5,000 and 8,000 migrants in Ceuta.
The mass influx occurred on July 30, when, according to authorities, at least 72,000 people crossed the border from Morocco.
Eighty-two migrants died on the Spanish side of the border during the attempt to breach it. The Moroccan side also confirmed 14 deaths.
Spain’s appeal to Frontex came amid the escalating situation in Ceuta.
Local residents are staging protests, demanding that the migrants leave the city.
Spontaneous camps have become a separate problem. In particular, migrants’ tents on Trampoline Beach were attacked and set on fire.
Consequently, Spanish authorities are attempting to tighten control over the situation in the enclave by enlisting additional resources from the European border agency.
This was reported by Reuters.
On Thursday, riots broke out in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, involving local residents and law enforcement officers. The clashes occurred a month after a massive influx of migrants from Morocco.
As a reminder, protesters in Ceuta set fire to parts of a migrant camp and clashed with police.
More than 50,000 migrants have entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta illegally.
