Ceuta after the mass influx: Up to 5,000 migrants remain in the enclave
Local leader criticizes Madrid, Italy suspends Schengen, and analysts warn that far-right disinformation fueled the crisis.
Local leader criticizes Madrid, Italy suspends Schengen, and analysts warn that far-right disinformation fueled the crisis.
Between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta a week after nearly 78,000 arrived from neighboring Morocco in just a few hours. Local leader Juan Jesús Vivas warns that the situation has not yet normalized and that the city is experiencing a serious humanitarian and security crisis, as reported by Narodno.hr.
While most of those who arrived have since returned to Morocco, among those who stayed there is a large number of unaccompanied children. Volunteer organizations have registered 4,860 of them, and some residents have temporarily taken them into their homes. However, volunteers warn that such a solution is not sustainable in the long term. Madrid has allocated 25 million euros to help minors, but their relocation to other parts of Spain has not yet begun because some regional authorities oppose it.
The mass attempt to enter Ceuta last week resulted in a significant number of deaths, but the exact figure remains a matter of dispute. Juan Jesús Vivas stated that around 100 people lost their lives. On the other hand, Middle East Eye reports at least 88 deaths. Sources, therefore, do not agree on the final death toll of this tragedy.
Speaking at the European Parliament, the leader of Ceuta sharply criticized the Spanish government's response, calling it delayed and insufficient. He claims that local authorities had previously warned about the rising number of attempts to cross by sea, but their warnings were not taken seriously.
The cause of the sudden arrival of tens of thousands of people has not yet been fully clarified. The Spanish government and the European Commission attribute part of the responsibility to smuggling networks, while Moroccan authorities point to the decision of Spain's Supreme Court that migrants intercepted at sea cannot be automatically returned.
Journalist Mathilda Mallinson, writing for Middle East Eye, offers a different perspective, arguing that disinformation played a key role. According to her analysis, many migrants believed that Spain would not deport them and that they could continue their journey to the European mainland. This belief was fueled for years by false claims from far-right politicians across Europe about supposedly open borders, which criminal smuggling networks then exploited.
Mallinson highlights an ironic consequence: almost all who crossed the border were returned to Morocco, and no one is confirmed to have reached continental Europe. Despite this, the same politicians who spread the disinformation later used this very event as evidence of a migration crisis requiring even stricter border policies.
The crisis has escalated into a serious diplomatic dispute within the European Union. Italy has temporarily suspended part of the Schengen rules with respect to Spain, with support from Finland and Denmark. The Czech Republic went a step further, calling for the temporary suspension of Spain's membership in the Schengen Area.
The events in Ceuta are thus no longer just a local problem of a Spanish enclave. The mass arrival of migrants has shown how quickly pressure on one external border of the European Union can escalate into a matter of security, solidarity, and trust among member states, a topic of direct interest to Croatia as an EU and Schengen member.
