Politics
Thousands cross into Spain from Morocco as death toll rises to 43
OVER 6,000 migrants have crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco over the past two days, as Spanish authorities confirmed that at least 43 people had died during the crossings.
According to Reuters, the Spanish government said that about 50,000 migrants entered Ceuta by land and sea since Thursday, while more than 25,000 had voluntarily returned to Morocco by Friday following intensified security operations.
The Spanish government initially reported 19 bodies recovered from the water before revising the official death toll to 43, surpassing earlier local estimates of 34 fatalities.
Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish autonomous cities located on Morocco’s northern coast and represent the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.
Each city has a population of roughly 85,000 people and has long served as a key entry point for migrants seeking to reach Europe.The enclaves are protected by high-security border fences and extensive surveillance systems, yet they periodically experience attempts by migrants to scale barriers or swim around coastal defences.
However, officials said that the arrival of around 50,000 people within roughly 24 hours is without precedent in Ceuta’s modern history.
The mass influx prompted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to travel to Ceuta on Friday, where he described the situation as unexpected and vowed that the government would defend the enclave.
He added that Spain was working closely with Moroccan authorities to accelerate the return of migrants.
The unprecedented crossings unfolded after thousands of migrants converged on the Moroccan border town of Fnideq, where security forces attempted to stop crowds from reaching Ceuta.
Reuters witnesses reported that Moroccan security personnel used batons, tear gas and water cannon to disperse migrants attempting to force their way through border gates.
Spain and Morocco have since reinforced border security around the enclave in an effort to prevent additional crossings.
The migration surge has sparked concern across Europe and renewed debate over border security within the European Union.
Ursula von der Leyen said the European Commission was in contact with Moroccan authorities, describing the situation as unacceptable.
France said it was prepared to support Spain if necessary, including through the EU border agency, while tightening checks along its frontier with Spain.
French Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez announced that additional controls would be introduced at the Spanish border, although no details were provided on how they would operate.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni threatened extraordinary measures, including suspending Spain’s participation in the Schengen free-movement area if the situation deteriorated further.
Finland’s Interior Minister Mari Rantanen also argued that countries unable to effectively protect the EU’s external borders should not remain within the Schengen Area.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham similarly described the situation as concerning and offered support.
Sánchez’s Socialist government has maintained that migration contributes positively to Spain’s economy and recently implemented a broad regularisation programme allowing hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants to seek legal status.
However, the Conservative People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo described the situation as a national security crisis, while Ceuta’s regional president, Juan Jesús Vivas, urged Madrid to declare a state of emergency.
Far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal characterised the mass arrivals as an invasion and accused the government of encouraging irregular migration through its immigration policies.
Sánchez, however, defended his government’s record, noting that irregular migration into Spain had fallen by roughly 40 per cent over the previous year before the sudden surge.
Ceuta and Melilla have remained central to European migration policy for decades because they are the only EU territories sharing land borders with Africa.
Spain, supported by the European Union, has invested heavily in physical barriers, surveillance technology and cooperation agreements with Morocco to curb irregular migration.
These arrangements include joint patrols, intelligence sharing and agreements facilitating the return of migrants intercepted after crossing the border. Migration pressure along the Western Mediterranean route has fluctuated significantly over the years.
According to the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, thousands of migrants and asylum seekers continue to attempt dangerous crossings from North Africa to Spain each year, often risking their lives at sea or at fortified border crossings.
The organisations have repeatedly warned that deaths along migration routes remain a humanitarian concern and have called for stronger protection measures and expanded legal migration pathways.
The European Union’s external border agency, Frontex, assists member states in protecting the bloc’s external borders through surveillance, registration of arrivals, return operations and operational support during migration emergencies.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.