72 dead as 60,000 migrants storm Ceuta; EU calls crisis meeting, Belgium demands Schengen suspension
At least 72 migrants drowned trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco this week, as 60,000 crossed illegally. Belgium's liberal MR party now demands Spain's partial suspension from the Schengen free-travel zone.
The crossing
Some 60,000 migrants crossed illegally from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta this week, in what the local government described as the worst influx ever seen. Most were young men, and the sudden surge overwhelmed border controls. By Sunday, Spanish police and army patrols had restored calm, with only a handful of migrants remaining in the enclave. Madrid said the "quasi-totalité" of those who entered had been returned to Morocco.
Death toll and investigation
The official death toll rose to 72 on Sunday, according to Ceuta's government delegate Miguel Angel Perez Triano, up from 67 the previous day. Many victims drowned while attempting to swim around the border fence. The Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) put the figure at "nearly 130 victims" and reported dozens missing, calling for an independent investigation into the circumstances of the influx. The group condemned the "worrying silence" of Moroccan authorities, and a source close to civil society told AFP that the mass arrivals could not have occurred without the "agreement of the authorities." Morocco has not commented on the death toll or on arrests made during Friday's clashes between police and migrants.
- 60,000 migrants cross from Morocco into Ceuta
- Clashes between Moroccan police and migrants at the border
- Italy suspends free movement with Spain; death toll at 67
- Death toll rises to 72; Bouchez demands Schengen suspension; EU ministers to meet Tuesday
Diplomatic fallout
The crisis has triggered sharp reactions across the European Union. Italy announced a temporary suspension of its free movement arrangement with Spain, and Finland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and the Flemish far-right party Vlaams Belang also called for Spain's exclusion from the Schengen zone. EU interior ministers will hold a videoconference on Tuesday to discuss the events in Ceuta and the ensuing diplomatic tensions. Spain, followed by a group of 22 countries including Belgium, Italy, and Denmark, requested the meeting.
Schengen suspension demand
Georges-Louis Bouchez, president of Belgium's liberal MR party, demanded targeted controls on people arriving from Spain and a partial suspension of Spain from the Schengen area regarding the free movement of persons. In a Facebook post on Sunday, he accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of bearing "overwhelming responsibility" for the influx, arguing that Spain's mass regularization procedure creates a "pull effect."
With a massive regularization procedure, Spain perfectly illustrates what a 'pull effect' is. The more permissive a country is with immigration, the greater the illegal immigration will be. Sánchez is thus putting all of Europe in danger, because we know that illegal immigration is today an easy source of cheap labour for serious crime, such as drug trafficking.
Bouchez added that 43% of prisoners in Belgium are not Belgian nationals, most of them staying illegally, and called for "targeted and chosen migration" while continuing to "assume our humanitarian duty."
Underlying tensions
Similar migration crises have erupted between Madrid and Rabat in the past, sometimes driven by underlying political motives. This latest episode follows a visit by Sánchez to Algeria on 20 July, Morocco's regional rival. The AMDH's call for an independent inquiry underscores suspicions that the sudden influx may have been tolerated or facilitated by Moroccan authorities, though no official confirmation exists.
