At Least 72 Killed in Stampede in Ceuta
Humanitarian crisis in the Spanish enclave sparks political turmoil across Europe, with migrants including Sudanese child soldiers trained by Colombian mercenaries
Humanitarian crisis in the Spanish enclave sparks political turmoil across Europe, with migrants including Sudanese child soldiers trained by Colombian mercenaries
At least 72 migrants have died in a chaotic mass border crossing attempt into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, turning one of Europe's latest border crises into a humanitarian disaster. Spanish authorities continued searching the waters off Ceuta on Sunday, August 2, 2026, for additional victims after an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 migrants, mostly young men, overwhelmed this small Spanish territory in North Africa, according to Fox News.
Officials report that many victims drowned during the crossing, while others died in a stampede near the breakwater. The mass crossing unfolded over several days, temporarily swelling Ceuta's population, which normally stands at around 84,000, by more than half. By Sunday, many migrants had returned to neighboring Morocco, while others remained in the city or tried to evade authorities.
The deaths have intensified the political battle over immigration in Spain and across Europe. Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain's nationalist Vox party, visited Ceuta on Saturday, August 1, 2026, and sharply criticized the government, calling the migrant influx an "invasion" and accusing officials of failing to protect the country's borders. That same day, European Parliament member Alvise Pérez faced angry protesters at a rally in Ceuta and took refuge in a nearby bar before being evacuated by police.
The U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for Ceuta to Level 3: "Reconsider Travel" on Saturday, August 1, 2026, warning that "the massive and uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta could lead to unpredictable and dangerous security situations."
As the political debate escalates, local residents express grief over the loss of life. "It deeply pains me that young people are dying at sea. It's not right that in 2026, women with two-month-old babies cross the sea only to die," Karima Abenaz, a French national in Ceuta with family in Morocco, told Reuters. She added: "In Morocco, there is food, there is everything we need. If we don't have decent jobs, we should strike and demand our rights from the government. We shouldn't die at sea. That's not right."
Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, a waiter in Ceuta, told The Associated Press that blame lies with the authorities: "If you open the border, of course everyone comes in, but the young men are not to blame. The authorities are responsible." Among the migrants gathered on the city's beach in Ceuta on Sunday, August 2, conditions are dire. "We are very tired. Eating and sleeping here is very hard. You can see what the situation is like," said Cesse Aliou, a Senegalese migrant, as the Spanish military distributed water.
Among the thousands of migrants are those who have crossed thousands of kilometers fleeing war. Amadou Abdulkarim, a 22-year-old migrant from Sudan's Darfur region, traveled 6,400 kilometers to reach Ceuta. He journeyed for two years through Chad, Niger, the Sahara Desert, Mali, and Mauritania before arriving in Morocco. Last weekend, he swam from Castillejos beach to Ceuta, clinging to a black float. It took him five hours for a route that would take ten minutes on foot, according to El Mundo.
"Life in my country no longer makes sense. It's not life. They kill us, we die of hunger..." Amadou told El Mundo. "There is war. There is a lot of insecurity. Women are raped. We young men are forced into fighting. What could I do? I knew I could die on the way. But I didn't care. There, it was more likely, I think."
The war in Sudan, ongoing since April 2023, erupted over disagreements about integrating the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the national army during the political transition following the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir in a 2019 coup. An estimated 11 to 12 million people have fled their homes. According to an Associated Press investigation, as reported by El Mundo, tens of thousands of children have been recruited by all warring parties.
One boy, now 17, recounted how he was captured by RSF fighters at a market in Omdurman when he was 15, where he was selling cigarettes. They chained him to an anti-aircraft gun mounted on a pickup truck while Sudanese warplanes attacked. "I was very scared. I just wanted to run away and go home," the boy said, crying during the interview, adding that those who chained him were Colombian mercenaries providing military support to the RSF.
"We weren't allowed to bathe. Instead, they poured water on us while we remained chained," he recounted. "When the planes flew over [the area], the Colombians retreated to their bunkers, and they left us outside chained to the vehicles." According to the report, a company linked to the United Arab Emirates recruited these mercenaries, and the UN monitored arms shipments to the RSF from that Gulf federation. The UAE has denied these allegations.
While most sources, including Fox News and Klix.ba, report at least 72 deaths, Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska mentioned a figure of 67. Moroccan authorities issued a statement on Sunday, August 2, blaming criminal smuggling gangs and misinformation for fueling the mass crossing. "This is happening because of criminal gangs that traffic in people and exploit situations of extreme vulnerability," Minister Grande-Marlaska stated.
As the humanitarian crisis escalates and political tensions rise, the fate of thousands of migrants waiting outside the overcrowded CETI reception center in Ceuta, where Amadou was 359th on the waiting list, remains uncertain.
