Spanish authorities carried out mass expulsions of migrants on Wednesday from its North African enclave of Ceuta after thousands crossed from Morocco, as the tide of humanity swimming around the border fence turned into a trickle.
Olivia Chan reports.
17-year-old Moroccan migrant Adam is one of the over 8,000 migrants who entered Spain's North African enclave Ceuta from Morocco earlier this week, just before Spanish authorities carried out mass expulsions of migrants.
"Actually, I am here in Ceuta and I am here to survive and to help my family." "My country doesn't have any justice.
Morocco is a big, bad country." On Wednesday morning, Spanish soldiers in combat gear and police officers were seen escorting some swimmers directly back to Morocco, while Moroccan police drove hundreds of young men away from the border fence.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said as many as 4,800 who entered Ceuta had been sent away.
"Let's remember the border with Ceuta is not only the border between Morocco and Spain, but it is also a European border and consequently the lack of control, in this case, by the Moroccan authorities isn't only a lack of respect towards Spain but also towards the European Union as a whole." The Spanish enclave's leader had accused Moroccan authorities of failing to police their side of the border actively and linked that to a decision by Madrid to admit Brahim Ghali, the rebel leader of the Polisario Front, in a Spanish hospital.
The Polisario Front wants the Western Sahara to be an independent state, rather than part of Morocco.
Sanchez did not make this connection.
But Morocco's minister of state for human rights, El Mustapha Ramid, suggested that his country has the right to relax border controls, as Spain is hosting quote “the head of a group that took up arms against the kingdom.” A diplomatic source who declined to be named said Rabat recalled its ambassador to Madrid for consultations, adding that relations with Spain needed a moment of quote "contemplation."
