Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta experienced a massive influx of migrants crossing from Morocco, with authorities estimating approximately 49,000 arrivals in a single day. The surge has prompted military reinforcements and raised humanitarian concerns.
Spain's Interior Ministry estimated that roughly 49,000 undocumented migrants entered the Ceuta enclave over a 24-hour period, prompting the government to deploy military reinforcements to support Civil Guard operations. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced plans to visit the territory on Friday following the unprecedented wave of border crossings, during which many migrants swam around the frontier barrier or crossed at the Tarajal beach breakwater.
The crossing resulted in at least 18 deaths, according to ministry officials. Rachid Sbihi, a representative of a local Civil Guard workers association, characterised the situation as a "serious humanitarian crisis," noting that thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, lacked adequate shelter and were sleeping in public spaces throughout the city. Deaths occurred both by drowning and in stampedes at crossing points, Sbihi reported. Security personnel appeared largely focused on humanitarian response rather than enforcement, with some officers attempting to direct arrivals to reception centres.
The incident reflects longstanding tensions between Spain and Morocco over migration through the two north African territories of Ceuta and Melilla, which represent Europe's only land borders with Africa. A comparable surge occurred in 2021, when more than 10,000 migrants crossed in two days during a diplomatic crisis between the countries. Italy's Thursday call for Spain's suspension from Europe's Schengen open-borders zone prompted Madrid to summon Italy's ambassador, signalling broader regional tensions over migration policy. Morocco had not issued an official public statement regarding the latest influx, though anonymous Moroccan sources confirmed bilateral discussions between the countries about the matter.
