Chaos in Ceuta with thousands of migrants who crossed from Morocco: At least 18 dead, altercatrion between Spain and Italy

Mass entry by land and sea
The situation spiraled out of control on Thursday afternoon, when thousands of people moved towards Ceuta. Others crossed the southern border post of the enclave, and others attempted to bypass the border by swimming around the breakwater that separates Spanish territory from Morocco.

Footage from the area showed dozens of people, mostly young men and teenagers, arriving at the shores exhausted, while many celebrated as soon as they set foot on Spanish soil. Some shouted “Goodbye Morocco, good morning Spain,” others “Long live Spain,” hugged each other, threw their flip-flops in the air, or knelt down to kiss the ground.

Early in the morning, journalists recorded piles of flip-flops, life jackets, and wetsuits on the beaches of Ceuta, an image that captures the scale of the sea crossing.

At least 18 dead
The human cost of the new migration crisis is particularly heavy.

According to the latest report published by El País, at least 18 people have lost their lives trying to cross from Morocco to Ceuta.

Many of those who managed to reach the Spanish enclave were exhausted or injured, with bleeding legs and knees from trying to cross the rocks and breakwater. Others were in critical condition, while the Guardia Civil and emergency services focused mainly on treating the injured, unable to control the mass entry.

Army in Ceuta
Faced with the escalation of the crisis, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior announced the deployment of military forces in the autonomous city.

Specifically, 60 members of the armed forces will reinforce the Guardia Civil and other security forces.

“The armed forces will reinforce the Civil Guard in the exercise of its duties and in whatever is deemed necessary to safeguard the security of the city of Ceuta,” the Interior Ministry said.

At the same time, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is expected to travel to Ceuta today, Friday, in order to be informed on the spot about the situation and to coordinate the government’s next moves.

Reception centers overcrowded
The migratory pressure had already begun to increase in previous days.

The president of the autonomous city, Juan Vivas, stated that more than 1,500 people have arrived in Ceuta in a few days, with the reception centers now exceeding their capacity.

“The situation was already urgent. Today it is even worse: new arrivals, lack of resources and human lives lost at sea,” he said in a post.

Chaos in Ceuta with thousands of migrants who crossed from Morocco: At least 18 dead, clash between Spain and Italy

The temporary reception center could no longer accept new people, while hundreds of migrants gathered in the surrounding areas in search of shelter, water and medical assistance.

The Spanish authorities have already started the procedures so that those who are not entitled to international protection are returned to Morocco as soon as possible.

Rumors led to the mass gathering
On the Moroccan side of the border, dozens of people – including minors – had gathered early in the area between the city of Fnideq and Ceuta.

According to witnesses, rumors had circulated that the border would open in the early hours of Thursday, which led thousands of people to move towards the Spanish enclave.

The images are reminiscent of the 2021 migration crisis, when more than 10,000 people crossed from Morocco to Ceuta in just two days, putting serious pressure on Spanish authorities and straining relations between Madrid and Rabat.

The new crisis is considered the biggest the region has faced since then.

Diplomatic clash with Italy
The situation in Ceuta has also provoked strong political reactions in Europe.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has advocated the suspension of the provisions of the Schengen Treaty for Spain, arguing that her country cannot remain inactive in the face of developments.

“Italy will not sit idly by,” he said, describing the images from Ceuta as “shocking.”

The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani,also echoed this sentiment who attributed the new migration crisis to the choice of the Sánchez government to grant Spanish – and by extension European – citizenship to more than 500,000 irregular migrants.

“The images coming from Ceuta show that the choice of the Madrid government to grant Spanish, and therefore European, citizenship to more than 500,000 irregular migrants is deeply wrong and encourages human trafficking,” he said in a post on the X platform.

Madrid’s response
The Spanish government reacted immediately to Rome’s statements.

Foreign Minister José Manuel Álvarez accused the Italian government of “demagogy,” describing the message of his Italian counterpart as “inappropriate.”

As he stressed, Spain expected European solidarity from a "partner and friendly country" and not "childish demagogy".

At the same time, he announced that he had summoned the Italian ambassador to Madrid to deliver an official protest over the Italian government's statements.