Spain has asked the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex for help in processing around 5,000 migrants who remain in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in northern Africa. As Al Jazeera English reports, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent the request to Beate Gminder, the European Commission’s director-general for migration and home affairs.
Additional Frontex staff
Grande-Marlaska also asked for another 10 Frontex officers to be deployed to Ceuta to speed up the screening of people. Spanish authorities must establish the identities of those who remain in the enclave, determine whether they are entitled to international protection, or begin procedures for their return.
According to the authorities, between 5,000 and 8,000 migrants remain in Ceuta, including unaccompanied minors. They are among the 72,000 people who crossed the border from Morocco on July 30.
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Tensions in Ceuta
Spain’s appeal came amid protests by Ceuta residents who demanded that the migrants leave the enclave. The tent camp on Trampolín beach, where many migrants were staying, was attacked and set on fire.
On Thursday, 12 migrants were detained after an army vehicle was pelted with stones. According to a source, one serviceman and four migrants were injured in the incident. El Pais, citing sources at the city’s main court, reported that 11 people had been expelled from Ceuta.
During the mass border crossing on July 30, official figures showed that 82 people died on the Spanish side and 14 on the Moroccan side. Human rights groups reported a higher death toll. On Tuesday, Madrid also formally asked the EU for emergency funding to address the situation in Ceuta.
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