Spain says almost all of the 60,000 migrants who entered its North Africa enclave of Ceuta from Morocco have returned to their country.
As of Friday, Spanish authorities said at least 48,000
migrants had returned to Morocco. By Saturday, Fernando Grande-Marlaska,
Spain’s interior minister, said nearly all the migrants had left the enclave.
“The situation has been almost entirely reversed,”
Grande-Marlaska said at a press conference.
AFP reported how it witnessed young migrants crossing back
over the border to Morocco under the watch of Spanish soldiers and police on
Saturday morning.
According to the news agency, those who lingered too long on
the coastal path were immediately ushered back by the soldiers.
Many of the migrants had entered Ceuta by swimming around a
small border barrier that extends into the Mediterranean Sea.
Grande-Marlaska said at least 67 people died while
attempting the crossing, while providing updated figures.
It was unclear what triggered the mass migration, but the
sudden influx sparked political concern across Europe.
Italy announced the suspension of its Schengen free-travel
agreement with Spain, while France and Germany hinted at tightening border
checks after the mass crossings into Ceuta.
In a letter to the heads of the European Commission and
European Council, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez criticised what he
described as the “selfish” response of some EU member states.
The EU said it would convene a video meeting of interior
ministers on Tuesday to coordinate a swift response and “prevent further
uncontrolled crossings”.
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