Where is Ceuta and why has Spain deployed thousands of troops to the enclave?
- Spain has deployed its military to the North African enclave of Ceuta following a mass migrant crossing from Morocco, which has resulted in at least nine deaths.
- The Spanish government described the border as “totally collapsed” and “absolute chaos,” with thousands of migrants entering the territory, overwhelming local police and reception centres.
- Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni reacted by calling for Spain’s suspension from the European Union’s visa-free Schengen travel zone, citing the “shocking” situation in Ceuta.
- Migrants were seen swimming or scaling fences to cross into Ceuta, which lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, an event compared to a similar large-scale influx in May 2021.
- The crisis follows a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling on migrant returns and has drawn criticism from right-wing parties regarding Spain’s pro-migrant policies.
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