The border crisis in Ceuta

Migrants' thoughts in Ceuta: "Hope for a better future"

What could make a teenager with his whole life ahead of him risk his life to get to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, in competition with tens of thousands of others? The British newspaper The Guardian asked the 29 girls who are still in one of Ceuta's reception centers:

"I feel safe here, because we are protected," writes Jawahir, 16.

A hope for stability, security and the opportunity to work are three arguments that are common among the young people, according to the report.

“The journey was full of suffering, fear and exhaustion, at times it almost broke me, but every step and the hope for a better future and my passion for football made me continue,” writes Dina, 17.

The authorities have not yet decided whether any of the remaining migrants will be allowed into Europe or asked to return to their home countries.

Sánchez: Morocco was not behind the refugee crisis

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has absolved Moroccan authorities of blame for the border crisis that erupted in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta a month ago, The Guardian and France24 report.

Instead, Sánchez blames social media accounts from “Russia, Israel and the international far right”. According to Sánchez, these always use migration to attack Spain and Europe.

“There is no information that raises suspicions that Moroccan authorities were involved,” Sánchez told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.

The move has prompted a reaction from Israel. In a comment, the country’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called it a “shameful lie”:

“The fact that Sánchez continues to spread slander will not distract from his shameful failure to govern his country’s affairs,” he wrote on X.