A migrant transfer in Ceuta descended into chaos on Friday as thousands of people ran through the streets towards a new tented camp, while police struggled to control crowds jostling for places.
Authorities began moving migrants from the beaches to the port area at about 6.30am. Video footage showed people cheering and shouting as they charged towards the site, which officials said had enough tents for 1,700 people.
The National Police and Riot Control Unit were reportedly forced to intervene, with local reports claiming tear gas was used to bring the disorder under control.
The transfer went ahead despite opposition from Ceuta’s conservative local authority. The camp includes beds and showers, according to a Spanish government source in the enclave.
Thousands remain in Ceuta after border influx
The operation followed the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants who crossed from Morocco in late July. Most later returned, but local authorities estimate that about 13,000 remain in Ceuta, with many sleeping rough on its beaches.
The Spanish enclave, which has a population of around 84,000, has faced growing pressure since the influx. Makeshift settlements have formed on beaches, where sanitary conditions have been described as dire.
One Moroccan teenager tested positive for monkeypox this week and is being treated in isolation. At least five cases of tuberculosis have also been recorded among the migrants.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has faced criticism over the government’s handling of the crisis, but has rejected claims that it was mishandled. Speaking on television on September 14, he said the authorities had been overwhelmed by the scale of the arrivals and appealed for patience from Ceuta residents.
Mr Sánchez said the government hoped to have the situation under control by the end of the year.
His administration has also faced questions over what it knew before the influx. Officials initially said they had received no warning about what would happen on July 30.
The government later released 40 previously classified communications showing that Spain’s National Intelligence Centre had warned on July 29 of organised attempts to enter Ceuta by land and sea. One message referred to a social media call for a mass crossing the following evening, while Moroccan intelligence was also alerted.
Mr Sánchez rejected the suggestion that the messages amounted to a formal warning, saying: “The WhatsApps are not proof that there was an alert, quite the contrary.”
Concerns over safety and rising tension
Residents have expressed fears for their safety amid reports of violence, including attacks against military personnel and dozens of sexual assaults.
Ceuta’s chief prosecutor, Silvia Rojas, said there had been “an exponential increase” in crimes such as sexual assault, including offences against minors. Spain’s Ministry of Equality confirmed 21 sexual assaults in August, five involving penetration and nine committed against minors.
On Friday, an Algerian citizen in Ceuta was found guilty of sexual assault and will be deported from Spain for five years.
Public safety experts told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo earlier this month that the situation risked escalating into violence. One warned that many migrants were running out of money brought from Morocco and said the pressure could lead to “a tragedy”.
Ceuta’s regional president, Juan Jesus Vivas, has called for more help from the European Union, describing the territory as a “pressure cooker”.
“The city is completely different from what it was before this event; Ceutans have lost their joy and their lifestyles have been completely shaken up,” he told lawmakers in the European Parliament.
Major protests have taken place in Spain since the arrivals, with violence reported between migrants and Ceuta residents. Last month, locals stormed a makeshift migrant camp and set it on fire.
