Spain: Over 8.000 Migrants Arrived in Ceuta in Only Two Days

The Spanish city of Ceuta, in the northern extreme of Africa, has received over 8.000 migrants during the last two days, among them 1.500 minors.

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Spain accuses the Moroccan government of reducing border control on purpose, as a retaliation for the COVID-19 treatment given in Spain to the Western Sahara independentist Brahim Ghail.

Morocco's authorities deny having done so, but the fact is that a wave of migrants flooded the beach Ceuta, forcing local NGOs to offer assistance to the migrants, who swim several kilometers to reach Spain's land.

"The Moroccan government has used us as pawns in its diplomatic impasse with Spain," said Fouad, an Algerian man, who was in Morocco and crossed into Ceuta earlier this week.

Beyond the political reasons, the unusual amount of migrants proves the difficult situation that Africans are going through. The arm conflicts, the lack of governmental help, and poverty are among the most common causes of these migration waves.

Using human lives to solve a political matter and risking people's lives is an unhuman move wherever it comes from.

Ceuta and its neighbor Melilla are the European cities offering an entrance to the European Union. Their authorities receive and deport thousands of migrants every year, but this week was a peak. So far, almost half of the migrants have been sent back to Marocco.