Mohamed El Harrak knows firsthand the journey of minors attempting to reach Spain. At just 9 years old, he himself crossed the border hidden under a truck. Today, a social worker, he has returned to Sebta to help young migrants left on the streets.
At 26, Mohamed holds a degree in electrical engineering and was working in Morocco. On 30 July, he left Fnideq by swimming to reach Ceuta. Fifteen days later, he is still sleeping outdoors and depends on food distributions.
Spain considered that his numerous crossings between Ceuta and Morocco proved that his residence was not sufficiently continuous. The Audiencia Nacional reviewed the Moroccan man’s trips one by one: his longest absence from Spain had lasted only 24 days.
Spanish police officers and civil guards had warned Madrid several times before the mass influx toward Sebta. Reuters found six warnings addressed to the authorities in the weeks preceding 29 and 30 July.
Bilal was preparing to leave Morocco legally to marry Claudia in Argentina. Convinced that a detour through Spain would make his journey easier, he swam to Sebta. Two weeks later, the young Moroccan is mainly looking for a way to return home .
Morocco says that the status of Ceuta and Melilla is regularly discussed with Spain. Madrid responds that its territorial integrity has never been discussed and never will be. Two difficult-to-reconcile versions of the same diplomatic dialogue.
A French couple is stranded in Ceuta after crossing Morocco with their seven-month-old baby. Spanish authorities have taken the child away from them, suspecting that the baby may have been purchased in Morocco. But the story put forward by the parents could completely overturn the case.
Military personnel assigned to Ceuta must interrupt their holidays and return to the city starting August 13. Some are currently in mainland Spain or abroad, in some cases after saving all year for a few days with their families.
Moundir, 3, who has cerebral palsy, no longer has to sleep on a blanket laid directly on the pavement in Ceuta. After spending several days looking for somewhere to sleep with his parents, accommodation has finally been found for the family.
Tahar Ben Jelloun says he cannot understand how tens of thousands of young people were able to head toward Ceuta without being stopped earlier by Moroccan law enforcement. For the writer, the strength of the security apparatus is precisely what makes this episode difficult to explain.
Felipe VI has committed to visiting Ceuta, but no date has been set. The visit is particularly sensitive in relation to Morocco and does not depend solely on the monarch: the Spanish government must give its green light.
The migration crisis in Sebta has abruptly brought Morocco’s cooperation with Europe back to the center of the debate. But several weeks before the events at the beginning of August, European elected officials were already calling for funding granted to Rabat to be used as leverage over expulsions.