The death toll from the mass surge of thousands of illegal migrants\ninto Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city in North Africa, has risen to at\nleast 18 people. During the incident, illegal migrants attempted to\ncross the border by swimming across the sea or forcing their way through\nthe land border from Morocco.<\/p>\n
Ceuta, located on the northern coast of Africa near Morocco, along\nwith the city of Melilla, serves as the only land border between the\nEuropean Union and Africa. Both cities periodically experience surges in\nillegal crossing attempts by migrants seeking entry into Europe.\nAccording to reports from Spanish local television TVE, as cited by\nReuters, between 2,000 and 3,000 migrants successfully entered the Ceuta\nterritory illegally on Thursday (30\/7) local time.<\/p>\n
According to residents of Fnideq in Morocco, most migrants who\nmanaged to cross the border appeared to do so before midday. The area of\nFnideq, situated near the border with Ceuta, was flooded with thousands\nof migrants throughout the night intending to cross.<\/p>\n
Among those attempting to cross into Ceuta, which has a population of\n85,000, were women and children from Morocco and Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n
Clashes and Crowding<\/p>\n
The situation triggered clashes as local authorities attempted to\nhalt the crowds of migrants near the border. Eyewitnesses reported to\nReuters that at least one bus and seven vehicles were burnt during the\nunrest.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced\non Friday (31\/7) that at least 18 people had died in the incident.\nPreviously, nine bodies had been found in connection with the surge.<\/p>\n
One illegal migrant recounted being caught in a crush while\nattempting to cross the border into Ceuta, explaining that people were\npushing and trampling one another along the narrow coastal path. \u201cI was\nafraid for my life,\u201d said the migrant, who requested anonymity.<\/p>\n
Spain Deploys Military and Police to Handle Ceuta Situation<\/p>\n
Spanish authorities deployed additional military and police forces to\nthe Ceuta region on Thursday (30\/7) following the surge in illegal\nmigration. Meanwhile, Moroccan authorities deployed water cannons and\nstrengthened security at the border crossing gates. Moroccan security\nforces repeatedly repelled migrants attempting to approach the\nborder.<\/p>\n
Although the crossing between Ceuta and Morocco has been blocked,\ngroups of migrants continue to move along the coast searching for routes\naround the border fences, with some preparing to swim across the\nmaritime border.<\/p>\n
Reasons for the Sudden Surge<\/p>\n
The exact reason behind the sudden surge in illegal migration to\nCeuta remains unclear. However, according to reports from Forbes and The\nGuardian, several factors are believed to contribute to the current\nemergency. Spanish and European opposition politicians have pointed to\nthe pro-immigration stance of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, citing his\ngovernment\u2019s policy earlier this year which granted legal status to\napproximately 500,000 undocumented immigrants in Spain. Meanwhile,\nseveral Moroccan government sources have linked the surge to the\nprevalence of \u201ccriminal organisations\u201d within the country.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thousands-of-migrants-from-morocco-surge-into-spain-18-dead-1785488302", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }