Spain sends troops to Ceuta after 9 migrants die amid mass arrival from Morocco

Spain is sending military forces to its North African enclave of Ceuta to bolster security following a massive influx of over 1,500 migrants who arrived by sea from Morocco. The deployment aims to support the Guardia Civil in maintaining order as the situation has escalated into what regional authorities describe as an "absolute humanitarian and social emergency."

The surge in arrivals has tragically resulted in the deaths of at least 9 migrants, according to Madrid. The enclave's reception centers are reportedly over capacity, unable to accommodate the sheer number of people arriving. Images from local media show hundreds of men and teenagers swimming towards Ceuta's shores from the neighboring Moroccan coast.

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The armed forces will reinforce the Guardia Civil in the exercise of its powers and in all that may prove necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska is scheduled to visit Ceuta to personally assess the situation. Ceuta, along with Melilla, represents the European Union's only land borders on the African continent. This event echoes the 2021 crisis when over 10,000 migrants reached Ceuta in a short period, prompted by Morocco's relaxation of border controls during a diplomatic dispute with Spain over Western Sahara.

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The reception centers are overloaded and saturated, leaving no room for new people.