At least 72 people have been confirmed dead following Thursday’s tragic events in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, bordering Morocco, after five bodies were recovered along the coastline, officials have said.
More than 50,000 people crossed into Ceuta by land and sea in an unprecedented wave of migrant arrivals that began on Thursday at one of the European Union’s two land borders with Africa, raising alarm in Brussels.
Within 48 hours, more than 48,000 migrants were sent back to Morocco with returns continuing to take place over the weekend, according to Spanish authorities.
Spain said migrant crossings into its North African enclave of Ceuta had stopped after police began installing a 500-metre floating barrier off the Moroccan border on Saturday.
Morocco attributed the migrant influx to smuggling networks, misinformation, and a misinterpretation of the non-refoulement policy.
According to Spain’s intelligence services, the Moroccan authorities not only failed to stop the mass movement towards the Tarajal border crossing, but also allowed the crowds to cross and sought to exploit the international attention for political purposes.
The investigation found that the mass movement was triggered by false information spread through social media and messaging apps following a recent ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court.
The ruling confirmed that migrants who reach Ceuta and Melilla by swimming cannot be sent back immediately. Instead, the authorities must first initiate an administrative procedure, as they do for migrants arriving by boat.
Sources: NYT, The Guardian
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