Rabat – Authorities in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta announced the launch of an evacuation plan for 1,700 migrants who left El Trampolín beach, where people who reached the occupied region during the mass crossings had been taking shelter.
On Thursday, over 1,000 migrants left the region as they were escorted by police to transfer them to temporary reception facilities amid calls and appeals warning against the unsanitary and inappropriate conditions the migrants have been enduring for nearly a month since the crossing.
On July 30 and 31, Ceuta witnessed one of the largest migration crossings, where tens of thousands swam or attempted to reach the enclave.
Spanish reports estimate that those who entered numbered between 70,000 and 80,000, while Moroccan authorities’ official data identify their number at over 40,000.
Morocco and Spain activated an emergency plan, agreeing on the return of all migrants who entered the enclave irregularly. Most of those who entered returned, except for a few thousand, including minors, with Morocco urging Spanish authorities to assume their responsibility and speed up the process of repatriation amid a humanitarian crisis marked by the challenges migrants endure in reception centers and on Ceuta’s streets.
EFE said today that authorities deployed a large operation at the beach to organize the migrants, who were divided into two groups based on their origin. Sub-Saharan migrants were directed toward Loma Margarita, while those from North Africa were directed to the Loma Colmenar Embolsamiento area near the Tarajal border crossing.
EFE quoted sources that claimed the separation aims to “prevent possible clashes between the two groups,” following several fights in recent weeks.
The migrants were sent to reception facilities, with the first phase covering sites with a combined capacity of around 1,800 people.
The process will also include registration and identification of migrants.
Spanish reports indicate over 3,500 people were gathered at El Trampolín, quoting police sources who counted the number during food distributions.
Spain also pledged to continue ensuring temporary spaces to tackle the crisis amid sharp criticism from far-right politicians and others from the People’s Party (PP).
The party criticized Spain, accusing it of inaction in the Ceuta crisis.
It further alleged that Spain is not “acting in time” and is intending to resolve the crisis with “tents and temporary camps.”
