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Shots Fired as Police Move Ceuta Migrants to Port Camp

3 hours ago

Spanish police fired warning shots while relocating thousands of migrants from Ceuta's beaches to a new tented port camp on Friday amid chaotic scenes.

Spanish police began transferring hundreds of migrants in Ceuta to a newly built tented camp in the port district of the enclave on Friday, and gunfire was heard as officers tried to hold back crowds fighting for a spot. Reports said police discharged their weapons into the air during the confusion.

The move started at around 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT), with more than 3,000 people relocated over the course of the operation, according to the Spanish state news agency Efe. The migrants had spent weeks sleeping on the enclave's beaches before authorities set up the new site, which can hold up to 1,700 people. Several hundred had reached the camp by the time the transfers were under way.

More than 170 officers took part in the operation, among them drone specialists, Efe reported. As the migrants were moved along a designated route of about two kilometres (1.2 miles) to the port, some pushed past the police line. Footage from the scene showed young men sprinting through the pre-dawn darkness as officers scrambled to keep order. Efe said the disorder was contained within a short time and the transfer resumed.

Ceuta, a Spanish territory bordering Morocco, covers just 18.5 square kilometres (7.2 square miles). It was overwhelmed in late July when 72,000 people crossed from Morocco. Most have since gone back. Local officials put the number still in the enclave at 13,000, though the central government in Madrid says the true figure is lower.

Authorities say the camp is meant to bring the migrants together in one place where they can be registered and looked after while officials rule on each person's legal status individually.

Anger among Ceuta residents

The arrivals have unsettled the local population. Some residents have voiced fears for their safety, torn down makeshift shelters and stopped aid from reaching the migrants.

Speaking to members of the European Parliament earlier this month, Ceuta's conservative mayor, Juan Jesus Vivas, said the crisis had turned the enclave into a "pressure cooker". "The city is completely different than it was before this event, Ceutans have lost their joy and their lifestyles have been completely shaken up," he told lawmakers.

Political pressure on Sanchez

The disorder at the beaches and the port has added to the difficulties facing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has drawn heavy criticism over his response to the influx.

Opposition figures have alleged that his government knew the surge was coming. Sanchez has maintained the events could not have been foreseen. But official documents indicate that Spanish intelligence services flagged online appeals for a mass crossing into Ceuta the day before it took place.

Ester Munoz of the conservative People's Party accused the administration of being "directly responsible for the invasion of Ceuta and for those who died". Sanchez has pointed instead at trafficking networks and at false claims and rumours circulating on social media. He described the situation as "a humanitarian crisis and also an administrative challenge within the city itself".

The episode has also complicated Spain's foreign relations. Sanchez is in dispute with Italy, and the two governments extended temporary border checks against each other earlier in the week. At the same time, he is working to preserve Spain's bilateral ties with Morocco, whose frontier with Ceuta was the point of the July crossings.

Ceuta migrants, Spain migration, Pedro Sanchez, Ceuta port camp, Morocco border crossing, Juan Jesus Vivas, migrant relocation Spain

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