But on the shore, soldiers were waiting. The military had been drafted in by Spain after thousands made this journey in the last few days. The swimmers were ordered from the water. They emerged shivering and cold after their time in the sea. All were male but what struck us was just how young they all were.
I asked how old he was. He showed the fingers of both hands and then held up four. He was 14 and arriving in Ceuta without any family. Around 1, migrants cross into the UK in one day as government says 'British public have had enough'. Belarus migrants: Poland border crisis escalates as 'gangster-style' Lukashenko turns to Putin in tense stand-off with EU.
The migrant crisis — why do people risk their lives? He's one of more than 1, children and teenagers who have made it to this Spanish territory in North Africa this week. The ages of those in the group weren't lost on the military. We saw moments of tenderness. Grande-Marlaska, the interior minister, said more people would be returned because Morocco and Spain signed an agreement three decades ago to send back all those who swim into the territory.
Meanwhile, the local authorities in Melilla said more than people had tried to cross the double fence barrier into the territory before dawn on Tuesday, with 86 succeeding. The developments came at a time of high tension between Madrid and Rabat and prompted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to cancel a trip to Paris, scheduled for later on Tuesday, where he was to attend an Africa financing summit.
Vivas, the Ceuta president, suggested that Morocco may have loosened its controls on migration, prompting the sudden surge in arrivals, after Spain in April gave compassionate assistance to Brahim Ghali.
Ghali is the head of the Polisario Front, an Algeria-backed breakaway movement that seeks to establish an independent state in the Western Sahara region and has periodically engaged Moroccan armed forces. The Spanish government itself officially rejects the notion that Morocco is punishing Spain for a humanitarian move.
Every year, thousands of people risk injuries or death while trying to reach the territories by jumping over fences, hiding inside vehicles, or swimming around breakwaters that extend into the Mediterranean Sea.
More than young Moroccans swam into the Spanish territory at the end of April, most of whom were returned to their country in less than 48 hours, after being confirmed to be adults. Rights groups raise concerns that Osama al-Hasani is being targeted by Saudi government for his political opinions. Some used inflatable swimming rings while others used rubber dinghies, a government spokesperson said.
According to the AP news agency, a spokesman with Spain's government delegation in Ceuta said groups of Moroccans reached the city by swimming around the breakwater in the border area known as Benzu. They were followed by "a few dozen people" near the eastern beach of Tarajal. The migrants were checked by Red Cross medical staff before being taken to a reception center, the AFP news agency reported.
0コメント