Symbolic imageRelatives search for missing as Ceuta death toll nears 100
Hundreds of people gathered in the Moroccan town of Fnideq this week, holding up photos of relatives missing since some 72,000 people crossed into Spain's enclave of Ceuta late last month. Officials now put the death toll close to 100.
What happened
- The crossing began on Thursday, 30 July; many swam around the border fence, some drowned, others were crushed.
- Local officials count at least 88 dead in Ceuta and 11 in Morocco; Spain's government says at least 75.
- Spain returned about 70,000 people; roughly 2,000 remain in Ceuta, including 862 registered unaccompanied minors.
- Land arrivals totalled 3,835 from January to July against 1,452 a year earlier; Tarajal is calm again.
The view from outside
Al Jazeera traces online speculation to a US House appropriations report attached to HR 8595, which directs $40m in security assistance to Morocco and notes Rabat's longstanding claim to Ceuta and Melilla. Le Monde runs economist Jamal Bouoiyour, who points to Moroccan youth unemployment above 37 percent rather than border policy, while The Economist frames Europe as encouraging migration blackmail by its neighbours.
What could happen next
- Dozens remain missing; the tolls given by Spain, Morocco and local officials have not been reconciled.
- NGOs in Spain say some people eligible for international protection were returned before they could request asylum.
- Unicef Spain warns more unaccompanied children may still be unprotected on Ceuta's streets.
- HR 8595 has passed the US House but not the Senate.
Spain: Madrid worked with Rabat to return the vast majority within 48 hours, deployed troops and fended off calls to suspend it from Schengen.
Morocco: Rabat cooperated on the returns and reports 11 deaths on its side of the border.
Also involved