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Hundreds swim into Ceuta from Morocco in mass crossing

Hundreds of migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain's Ceuta over the past week, prompting local leaders to call for intervention as figures remain disputed.

·1 min read
Map of the western Mediterranean showing southern Spain and northern Morocco. Locations marked include Málaga on Spain’s southern coast and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta near the Strait of Gibraltar and Melilla on the North African coast. Ceuta is highlighted in a red label to indicate its position as a Spanish enclave in Morocco. Tangier, to the west of Ceuta, is also labelled. An inset map of Europe and Africa shows the location of the area in the south-western Mediterranean.

Hundreds of migrants have entered Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco over the past week, the territory's leader has said. Juan Jesús Vivas said the influx is overwhelming resources and urged the Spanish government to intervene. Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska is expected to visit on Friday, according to news agency .

How did migrants reach Ceuta?

Footage showed migrants swimming and using inflatable rings and other flotation devices to swim to Ceuta on Thursday, while others ran through a gate in the border fence.

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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.

Why is the crossing drawing attention now?

Earlier this month, the country's Supreme Court ruled that migrants intercepted at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

Spain's interior ministry said they believed human trafficking networks were exploiting that ruling to

This article was sourced from bbc

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