condemned "serious and repeated violations," as well as "deportations to encampments have moved to forests, hidden from sight. the EU in recent years, according to the European border agency Frontex. from Ceuta across the border to stores in Morocco to try to make a living. Some of the dead were wounded by live ammunition; of those, two died on the Spanish side of the fence,[6] apparently shot from the Moroccan positions. aimed at trafficking networks," not migrants. the majority of the largest groups of those wishing to cross from Morocco to We made it through without any issue, now all of us sporting new stamps on our passports that will last until the end of our trip. On Saturday morning, we hopped on our buses and headed for the border. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Ceuta is a hub for the smuggling of contraband goods – many poor Moroccan women carry cheap goods (such as CDs, blankets, beauty products, electronics, etc.) But, luckily, we arrived at the perfect hour for me to spend some time walking on the beach at sunset, collecting seashells and admiring the Mediterranean. Ceuta is legally Spain, which is why those traveling from the mainland can take a ferry over for about forty euro.Those going to Ceuta from Morocco, however, have to cross the land border.. Common issues As the first fence was too easy to cross the construction of a new system started in 1995 bringing it up to 3 metres (9.8 ft). An agreement between Morocco and Spain exempts cross-border workers from needing a visa. Constructed by Spain, its purpose is to prevent smuggling and to stop migrants from entering Europe. Ceuta is a hub for the smuggling of contraband goods – many poor Moroccan women carry cheap goods (such as CDs, blankets, beauty products, electronics, etc.) Ceuta is also a hot spot for people from Sub-Saharan Africa who are trying to immigrate illegally to Europe (since it is so close to Spain). managed to block 400 migrants from crossing but "resulted in injuries to both migrants and security forces. Apparently 80% of the Ceuta population is still Moroccan, but this was not very visibly evident, at least in the portion of the city we were in. He ALSO READ: COVID-19: Morocco tightens measures as … Tent cities ( Log Out /  ( Log Out /  Many people try to cross the border by climbing the high walls and fences, because Spain has a law granted them some immunity on the other side: they can’t be deported once they make it over. ( Log Out /  The enclave was once seen as a gateway to Europe for migrants Crossing the Ceuta Border. borders that Europe shares with Africa. But now This is an incredibly grueling job, as they are only allowed to take what they can carry on their backs and carry as much as they possibly can to make the most money. Our time in Ceuta was incredibly bizarre – in the course of about 20 feet, it seemed that we had entered into a completely different world. [2], The fence consists of parallel 6 metre (20-foot) high[3] fences topped with barbed wire, with regular watchposts and a road running between them to accommodate police patrols or ambulance service in case of need. Underground cables connect spotlights, noise and movement sensors, and video cameras to a central control booth; dozens of guard ships and patrol boats check the coast, while 621 Guardia Civil officers and 548 police officers control the shore. coming from across the African continent and beyond. This time, we also got to make a pit stop and hike up to some waterfalls a short drive away from the city called the Cascades D’Akfour. Mustapha, The migrants again threw excrement and corrosive substances at the Spanish police, wounding seven, some of whom suffered burns. Moroccan security forces have clashed with local people crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. In August 2018, of the hundreds who attempted to force their way into Ceuta, more than 100 people succeeded, bringing the overall total to 1,400. They usually only make about $5 for each trip, making the trip back and forth sometimes as often as three times a day. ", Aid In 2005 the height was further increased, from 3 to 6 m (9 ft 10 in to 19 ft 8 in) in height. had grown up in the border area to house those waiting to cross and groups of A single road border checkpoint to the south of Ceuta near Fnideq allows for cars and pedestrians to travel between Morocco and Ceuta. AFP reports Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Our trip leader had to gather all of our passports and spoke with the authorities for a pretty extensive amount of time in French about our situation. In the last few months, Morocco has ramped up arrests and clamped down on migration across its borders to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. This is a complex issue as well as a double-sided one: on the negative side, this is an informal economy – the products aren’t taxed and so the government doesn’t gain from it. Many of us found ourselves automatically saying words in Darija such as “afak” and “shukran” (please and thank you) as a gut reaction. Migrants in Serbia recount acts of violence employed by Croatian border police, Greece plans to extend fence along Turkish border, UK flies military plane over English Channel in continued effort to make migration there 'unviable', Hungarian court jails migrants for breaching border. This past weekend, our group faced a minor issue: our passport stamps that we received when we entered the country were only good for 80 days, and thus wouldn’t last for the remainder of the trip. When we got there, we faced huge lines of cars waiting to go through the gates and tons of Moroccan and Spanish police. charge of migration and border monitoring for the Moroccan Interior Ministry, Yet, interestingly, Spain and Morocco have an agreement that allows Spain to immediately deport any Moroccans who make it into the country illegally. [11], In August 2019, migrants stormed the fence using sticks and acid. Although I took two years of Spanish in college, I quickly realized the extent to which all the Darija I’ve been learning has pushed all the Spanish out of my brain. They state Morocco objected to the construction of the barrier since it does not recognize Spanish sovereignty in Ceuta. Nevertheless, it was a fun weekend and a nice little getaway from our daily life in Fes. Although this is technically illegal, the police turn a blind eye to it and the women break the law to try to put food on their table. all along the border. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. One group, quoted by AFP, the Moroccan Association of Human Rights has We drove through successfully and entered “Spain.”. Ceuta is an integral part of Spain, and therefore of the European Union; its border and its equivalent in Melilla are the only two land borders between the European Union and an African country. We weren’t allowed to take any photos, so we took a “border crossing selfie” instead. Before going to Ceuta, we had a lecture from a renowned professor about smuggling and illegal immigration in the north of Morocco. They say the beginning of the year there have been numerous reports detailing how much more Caught between Spanish rubber bullets and Moroccan gunfire, a number of migrants died (sources put the number of deaths between 13[6] and 18 people[4]) and more than 50 were wounded. charge of migration and border monitoring for the Moroccan Interior Ministry, told AFP that his "dream is to go live in Norway and be a DJ." many people have been hiding, according to the news agency AFP. This page was last edited on 20 September 2020, at 04:24. I was expecting a shabbier, smaller town, but instead, Ceuta was a beautiful city that really looked and felt European. Schengen and the Cases of Ceuta and Melilla, EUROPA - Press Releases - Visit to Ceuta and Melilla – Mission Report Technical mission to Morocco on illegal immigration 7 October– 11 October 2005, Migrants shot dead at the border fence, Spain deploys army, "Spain: Accountability urged for 'appalling' migrant deaths in Ceuta", "Hundreds of migrants storm fence to reach Spanish enclave of Ceuta", "Unos 400 inmigrantes intentan saltar la frontera de Ceuta y tres resultan heridos", "Más de 600 inmigrantes entran en Ceuta tras saltar la valla: 22 guardias civiles heridos, varios por cal viva", "El Gobierno usa un acuerdo de 1992 para expulsar a los 116 inmigrantes que saltaron ayer la valla de Ceuta", "DFer kritiseres for opfordring til at skyde migranter: "Nu må det være nok, "More than 100 migrants storm border of North African Spanish enclave", "Migranter udvist til Marokko efter at have stormet enklave", "Spain returns to Morocco migrants who stormed enclave fence", "Around 150 migrants jump border fence into Ceuta".