Ceuta returns to calm but grapples with border surge aftermath

The Spanish enclave of Ceuta began returning to normal over the weekend after witnessing one of the largest migrant crossings in recent years, although residents remained shaken by the events that unfolded earlier in the week.

Most of the estimated 50,000 to 60,000 migrants who entered the North African enclave by swimming, climbing or forcing their way across the border had returned to Morocco by Sunday.

However, some migrants remained in the hills surrounding the city, while Spanish authorities continued searching coastal waters for bodies near the beach where the mass crossing took place.

Businesses reopened across Ceuta, and residents and tourists gradually returned to restaurants, cafés and public spaces as daily life resumed in the city of about 84,000 people.

Spanish authorities said at least 72 migrants were killed during the incident. Some drowned while attempting to reach the enclave, while others died in a stampede near a breakwater barrier used during the crossing.

Moroccan authorities separately reported 11 deaths on their side of the border, although it was not immediately clear whether those fatalities were included in Spain’s figures.

Morocco blamed misinformation and human trafficking networks for the mass crossing and said an investigation into the incident was underway.

Despite the return to relative calm, residents remained divided over the causes of the border breach and who should be held responsible.

“It’s not the young men’s fault,” AP quoted Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, a 44-year-old waiter at a local seafood restaurant, as saying.

“If you open the border, of course everyone comes in, but the young men aren’t to blame. The authorities are responsible,” Driss added.

Several migrants who returned to Morocco said the border had effectively been left open and claimed security forces did little to stop thousands of people from crossing.

The sudden influx temporarily increased Ceuta’s population by more than half.

Although he criticised the authorities’ handling of the situation, Abdelkader said many of the migrants behaved peacefully.

“It could have been much worse,” he said.

Immigration debate reignites

The humanitarian crisis has reignited political debate over immigration in Spain and across Europe.

Over the weekend, far-right and anti-immigration politicians, along with several prominent right-wing influencers, travelled to Ceuta to criticise the government’s handling of the crisis.

Their presence prompted counter-protests involving members of Ceuta’s sizeable Muslim community, many of whom are of Moroccan origin, highlighting the growing political tensions surrounding migration in the region.

With inputs from agencies