Spain confirmed Saturday that at least 67 migrants died in the Ceuta border crisis with Morocco, including drownings and victims of stampedes at the Tarajal breakwater. [1] The toll rose sharply from the previous day's figure of 57, as rescue workers recovered additional bodies along the shoreline. [2]
The government simultaneously announced a 500-meter containment barrier along the sea border, a physical response to the mass crossings that saw 50,000 to 60,000 people breach the tiny North African territory's frontier between Thursday and Friday. [2]
The sudden surge overwhelmed a city of 84,000 residents. Streets packed with people hoping for a better life in Spain gave way to an uneasy calm Saturday morning, as security forces escorted exhausted migrants back across the border. [2]
"The events require an evaluation by Spain and Morocco," Interior Minister Grande-Marlaska said. He credited cooperation with neighbors for allowing Spain "to revert the situation in 24 hours." [1]
But the political fallout extended far beyond Ceuta's walls. Italy threatened to suspend the Schengen open-border agreement with Spain, reimposing border controls for people arriving by air and sea. [1] Twenty-two EU member states signed a joint letter calling for a coordinated response, warning that "uncontrolled mass crossings" and the "instrumentalization of migration" must not become normalized. [1]
Prime Minister Sánchez pushed back, calling Italy's Schengen suspension "selfish, polarizing and unlawful" in a letter to EU officials. He requested a videoconference of interior ministers to establish a common approach and reinforce that external border security is a shared responsibility. [1]
On the Moroccan side, security forces used water cannons, tear gas, and warning shots to turn back migrants. Burned-out vehicles lined the road near the border crossing, and the acrid smell of smoke hung in the air. [1]
"Life in this city has been disrupted as a result of the border incident," said Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas. "The return of people has begun satisfactorily, but the process must be completed." [2]
Among those who refused to leave was Mohamed Hatri, a 23-year-old Moroccan. "They've closed everything down so that we can't buy anything to eat, to force us to return to our country," he said. "But even if they close it down, we're going to stay here, whether we're hungry or not." [2]
The death toll continued to mount even as most migrants returned to Morocco. Spain's interior ministry said the majority of those who entered the territory had already crossed back. [2]
The crisis reignited Europe's migration debate at a moment when the bloc was already fractured over border policy. The Ceuta enclave sits on the Strait of Gibraltar at the Mediterranean's entrance — a Spanish possession since 1580 that has never been part of the Schengen zone. [1]
-- LUCIA VEGA, São Paulo