Spain sending troops as thousands enter enclave of Ceuta from Morocco

BBC:

Spain is sending troops to bolster security in its North African enclave of Ceuta after thousands of migrants swam from Morocco into the territory on Thursday.

At least 15 people drowned while trying to reach Ceuta. Local officials had appealed to Madrid for help after a recent rise in attempted crossings, but there were chaotic scenes on Thursday as border controls apparently broke down.

Spain’s Supreme Court ruled this month that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish enclave, cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

Spain’s interior ministry accused human trafficking networks of exploiting that to “encourage the flow of undocumented migrants”.

“The armed forces will reinforce the Civil Guard in the exercise of its powers and any others that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta,” the ministry said.

Ceuta, on Morocco’s northern coast, is separated from mainland Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar and has long been a focal point for migrants attempting to reach Europe.

The breach prompted Italy’s government to say it was considering “extraordinary measures” including closing the open border Schengen agreement with Spain.

The number of migrants attempting to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta had been rising for several days.

Then on Thursday, thousands of people slid down concrete embankments into the sea in order to swim around the jetty that marks the border.

On the Spanish side, the beaches were soon covered in rubber rings and flippers. While some migrants were celebrating their arrival, more than a dozen drowned trying.

It’s not yet clear what prompted this surge in illegal crossings from Morocco, or how hard the authorities there tried to prevent it. At one point, a Spanish official said the border was in total collapse.

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, is due in the territory on Friday and has pledged to return things to normal immediately.

Migrant reception centres are overwhelmed, and the local authorities have accused Madrid of being too slow to react.