{"id":53080,"date":"2026-07-31T21:46:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T21:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/?p=53080"},"modified":"2026-07-31T21:46:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T21:46:27","slug":"nearly-80-people-die-crossing-to-spain-via-ceuta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/2026\/07\/31\/nearly-80-people-die-crossing-to-spain-via-ceuta\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 80 people die crossing to Spain via Ceuta"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At least 57 people have died trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after as many as 50,000 migrants entered the tiny territory from Morocco in what Spain\u2019s prime minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez, called \u201ca violation of Spain\u2019s territorial integrity\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The huge influx, which took place over the course of just 24 hours, overwhelmed the city of 85,000 people, triggered a political crisis for Madrid and led to a mixed reaction from other EU countries, including calls for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen free-movement zone.Tens of thousands of migrants cross into Spanish enclave Ceuta from Morocco – video<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u00e1nchez, who arrived in Ceuta on Friday morning, said he would use all the resources at his disposal to guarantee the safety of the city\u2019s population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed the mass crossing to \u201chuman trafficking mafias\u201d that had taken advantage of a decision by Spain\u2019s supreme court, which recently ruled that those intercepted at sea while trying to enter Ceuta, or Spain\u2019s other north African enclave of Melilla, could not be summarily returned under special rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u00e1nchez said: \u201cThat has spread like wildfire during these last few hours through the networks of mafias that traffic in human beings and has produced an avalanche of the characteristics and dimension that we experienced yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u00e1nchez said a temporary reception centre would be established to facilitate the documentation, registration, triage and \u201cexpedited\u201d expulsion of people with no legal claim to be in Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also said the government would erect a visible barrier \u2013 a line of buoys \u2013 near the breakwater at Ceuta\u2019s Tarajal beach to make it clear where the border was, and to legally comply with the court\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the Spanish government said about 50,000 people had crossed the border on Thursday and in the early hours of Friday, the president of Ceuta put the figure at about 60,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spain\u2019s interior ministry, which has deployed additional police officers and soldiers to the enclave, said more than 48,300 people had voluntarily returned to Morocco by 6pm on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest incident dwarfs the last mass border crossing in May 2021, when Morocco loosened its border controls, allowing about 10,000 people to enter the territory over the course of two days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That crossing came amid heightened tensions between Madrid and Rabat over Spain\u2019s decision to allow the leader of the Western Sahara independence movement, the Polisario Front, to be treated for Covid-19 in Spain. Morocco and the Polisario Front both lay claim to Western Sahara, which was under Spanish rule until 1975, when colonial authorities handed over the territory to Morocco and Mauritania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That diplomatic crisis ended in 2022 when Madrid reversed its longstanding policy of neutrality and backed Morocco\u2019s plan for Western Sahara \u2013 a move that had caused a diplomatic rift between Spain and Algeria, which had supported the Polisario group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u00e1nchez visited Algiers on 20 July \u2013 the first such visit by a Spanish head of government in four years \u2013 marking a thaw in relations with Algeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moroccan government sources told the Europa Press news agency that the surge of people entering Ceuta was down to \u201ccriminal organisations\u201d and insisted that Rabat\u2019s cooperation with Spain remained \u201cexemplary\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morocco\u2019s ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that \u201cwe have always prioritized legal, orderly and safe migration for all\u201d and indicated that the situation had developed against Rabat\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"People<\/a>
Spain\u2019s interior ministry said more than 48,300 people decided to return to Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Friday. Photograph: Antonio Sempere\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers\u2019 association representing officers of the Spanish Guardia Civil \u2013 which patrols Spain\u2019s borders \u2013 described the situation as a \u201cserious humanitarian crisis\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without shelter, thousands of people, including unaccompanied children, had been left sleeping in parks and on pavements, while others roamed the streets aimlessly. \u201cIt\u2019s chaotic,\u201d said Sbihi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among those who died, many drowned, but some were killed in a crush to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach, Sbihi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"People<\/a>
People waiting on the Moroccan side of the border for a chance to cross to Ceuta. Photograph: Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Video footage on Thursday showed crowds of people walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach on to local roads. While most appeared to be young men, there were also families with women and small children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ceuta and Melilla have the E\u200bU\u2019s only land border with \u200bAfrica. \u200cBoth cities \u200bperiodically \u200bexperience surges in attempted crossings by people seeking to reach Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"People<\/a>
Crowds in downtown Ceuta on Friday after making the crossing. Photograph: Fabian Bimmer\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The events in Ceuta led some EU countries to issue strong threats or rebukes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spain\u2019s foreign minister, Jos\u00e9 Manuel Albares, summoned Italy\u2019s ambassador to Madrid on Friday after Giorgia Meloni\u2019s far-right government called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen free-movement zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy\u2019s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, blamed the situation in Ceuta on the S\u00e1nchez government\u2019s decision to offer a now closed scheme to regularise the status of more than 1 million undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. He said the programme had incentivised human trafficking and was \u201cprofoundly wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tajani\u2019s remarks prompted a sharp response from Albares, who said the comments were \u201cunbecoming\u201d and accused Italy of \u201cpartisan demagoguery\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italy announced on Friday evening that it would be suspending its Schengen arrangements with Spain, but the practical impact of the move was not immediately clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meloni said the measure would be kept in force only as long as needed, adding: \u201cIn parallel, Italy is ready to support every European initiative to assist Spanish institutions as needed to restore full control of the union\u2019s external borders and to address the ongoing situation with determination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Spanish soldiers patrolling the Spanish-Moroccan border in Ceuta on Friday. Photograph: Fabian Bimmer\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Responding to Italy\u2019s unilateral decision, a European Commission<\/a> spokesperson said a member state \u201cmay exceptionally and temporarily reintroduce internal border control as a matter of last resort, to address serious threats to public order or national security\u201d. But they added that the member state would need to notify the commission and explain how the situation in Ceuta constituted such a threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Guardian understands that Italy has not yet formally notified any of its EU partners of its decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, urged Spain to \u201cact swiftly to regain control of the situation and fulfil its commitments within Schengen cooperation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Finnish interior minister, Mari Rantanen, said<\/a> that as Spain had \u201ccompletely failed to protect the Schengen area\u2019s external border\u201d, all EU countries should support Italy\u2019s proposal to suspend its Schengen status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in a statement later on Friday, the European Commission said Ceuta and Melilla were subject to special Schengen rules that prevented onward movement within the zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Belongings<\/a>
Belongings float in the sea after they were left behind by people crossing from Morocco into Ceuta. Photograph: Antonio Sempere\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The EU\u2019s migration commissioner, Magnus Brunner, called the situation in Ceuta \u201cunacceptable\u201d and said he was in close contact with the Spanish authorities. But he also confirmed there was no onward route from Ceuta given the enclave\u2019s unique status under the Schengen rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said: \u201cThe Schengen borders code provides for special rules that apply to Ceuta and Melilla. Border checks on persons departing from Ceuta and Melilla remain in force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there were also shows of unity. The European Council president, Ant\u00f3nio Costa, expressed his \u201csolidarity with Spain in the current situation of illegal migration in Ceuta\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said he had been in touch with the Spanish government to express his solidarity and to offer assistance to Spain. But, as a precautionary measure, Macron said he had asked the interior ministry to strengthen the French controls on its border with Spain with four mobile units and drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Spain, the opposition People\u2019s party (PP) called on S\u00e1nchez to come up with a tough response, saying the military and police reinforcements announced on Thursday night were insufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a post on X, the PP\u2019s leader, Alberto N\u00fa\u00f1ez Feij\u00f3o, wrote: \u201cPeople have continued to arrive in Ceuta throughout the night, and those on the ground describe an occupied city, with nothing sufficient being done to prevent it.\u201d The far-right Vox party called the incident \u201can invasion\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday evening, hundreds attended an anti-migrant rally outside the Moroccan embassy in Madrid, with images showing some protesters performing Nazi salutes and waving flags with far-right insignia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At least 57 people have died trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after as many as 50,000 migrants entered the tiny territory from Morocco in what Spain\u2019s prime minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez, called \u201ca violation of Spain\u2019s territorial integrity\u201d. The huge influx, which took place over the course of just 24 hours, overwhelmed the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":53081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_post_source_name":"","_post_source_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[461,12],"tags":[11261,1648,4899,12268,8092,8669,7753,10922,9204,11580,8924,287,9331,7823,10507,5222,5200,8440,10505,5241,12246,12866,7445,6060,524,159,6621,9505,6564,3182,6738,8290,5345,6351,8016,2264,10234,10321,8601,5910,5252,1392,5205,9515,8029,414,6465,7309,8007,12309,6461,7343,65,5572,5457,12287,12187,7693,3773,5395,9237,7964,1565,421,9374,3805,3174,11171,5333,6534,5655,5618,4293,10480,8840,1825,9209,5594,9313,7231,11957,8033,6408,5320,10353,5140],"class_list":["post-53080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-world-news","tag-accused","tag-africa","tag-african","tag-alberto-nunez-feijoo","tag-algeria","tag-asylum","tag-asylum-seekers","tag-avalanche","tag-border","tag-border-control","tag-chance","tag-children","tag-city","tag-code","tag-court","tag-covid","tag-covid-19","tag-crisis","tag-die","tag-died","tag-diplomatic","tag-documentation","tag-drones","tag-embassy","tag-emmanuel-macron","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-european","tag-european-commission","tag-european-council","tag-families","tag-fence","tag-foreign-minister","tag-french","tag-giorgia-meloni","tag-government","tag-human-trafficking","tag-illegal","tag-independence","tag-initiative","tag-invasion","tag-italy","tag-july","tag-killed","tag-land","tag-macron","tag-mauritania","tag-melilla","tag-meloni","tag-men","tag-migrant","tag-migrants","tag-migration","tag-military","tag-morocco","tag-movement","tag-n","tag-national-security","tag-nazi","tag-neutrality","tag-nio","tag-north","tag-pedro","tag-police","tag-population","tag-president","tag-prime-minister","tag-protesters","tag-rally","tag-schengen","tag-security","tag-soldiers","tag-spain","tag-spanish","tag-strong","tag-supreme-court","tag-swedish","tag-traffic","tag-trafficking","tag-union","tag-unity","tag-video","tag-wildfire","tag-women","tag-x","tag-young"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53080"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53082,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53080\/revisions\/53082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}