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world news Diaranson 19 Mei 2021

Spain, Morocco square off after 8,000 migrants arrive by sea

(AP) — Spain deployed tend a summit on interna-
its military to the Moroc- tional aid to Africa, and flew
can border Tuesday and by helicopter to Ceuta. While
expelled nearly half of calling Morocco a “friend of
the thousands of migrants Spain,” Sánchez also urged
who jumped fences or authorities to “respect the
swam onto European soil shared border.”
over two days after Rabat
loosened border controls A senior Moroccan Foreign
amid a deepening diplo- Ministry official said the
matic spat. government had recalled its
ambassador to Spain for con-
Overwhelmed soldiers sepa- sultations. The official wasn’t
rated the adults from the authorized to be identified by
young and carried children in name in media reports.
their arms while Red Cross
workers helped an endless By Tuesday afternoon, nearly
trickle of migrants who were 8,000 sea-soaked people had
emerging from the water crossed the border into the
shivering and exhausted. One city since early Monday, the
unconscious woman laid on Spanish government said, in-
the sand before she was car- cluding some 2,000 thought
ried away on a stretcher. to be teenagers. The num-
ber getting in slowed after
The sudden influx of mi- Spain deployed additional
grants has fueled the diplo- police officers and soldiers, a deterrent role, but there are der watch came after Spain ality and under any circum-
matic spat between Rabat but the arrivals didn’t stop great quantities of people on decided to grant entry for stance.”
and Madrid over the disput- even when anti-riot police on the Moroccan side waiting to medical treatment to the
ed Western Sahara region and the Moroccan side dispersed enter,” he told Cadena SER chief of a militant group that Over the decades, Spain has
created a humanitarian crisis crowds of people hoping to radio. fights Morocco for the in- built a close relationship with
for Ceuta, the Spanish city of cross over. dependence of Western Sa- Morocco to crack down on
85,000 in North Africa on the Four Spanish armored vehi- hara. Morocco annexed the illegal border crossings but
Mediterranean Sea, separated At least 4,000 were returned cles parked Tuesday at Tarajal sprawling region on the west also to increase economic ex-
from Morocco by a double- to Morocco, according to beach in Ceuta, where the coast of Africa in 1975. changes and fight extremism.
wide, 10-meter (32-feet) Spain’s Interior Ministry. border fence leads to a short Sánchez on Tuesday avoided
fence. Morocco and Spain signed an breakwater. Some people also Morocco’s Foreign Ministry any direct criticism to Rabat
agreement three decades ago rushed up the hills surround- has said Madrid’s move to in his speech.
Amina Farkani, a 31-year-old to expel all those who swim ing the city and jumped over assist Brahim Ghali, head of
Moroccan woman who com- across the border. the fences. the Polisario Front, was “in- “To be effective,” he said,
muted to jobs in Ceuta for 18 consistent with the spirit of “that cooperation must al-
years until foreign workers Yet many arriving Tuesday In a video shared by a Span- partnership and good neigh- ways be based on respect —
were banned from entering were sub-Saharan Africans ish police union urging borliness” and vowed there respect for the shared bor-
when coronavirus outbreaks who often migrate to flee authorities to send in re- would be “consequences.” der.″
began to surge last year, said poverty or violence at home. inforcements, anti-riot offi-
she saw an opportunity to go Spain has agreements to re- cers behind the border fence Vivas, Ceuta’s conservative The prime minister also faced
back to work when she heard turn some of those migrants were using shields to protect regional president, said resi- a political storm at home. The
that police were not control- to their native countries, but themselves from stones be- dents were in a state of “an- far-right Vox party blamed
ling the border. not all of them. ing thrown by people in Mo- guish, concern and fear” and the migration crisis on the
rocco. 60% of the city’s children government’s “inaction” and
“They let people pass and One young man drowned had not shown up for school sending its leader on a quick
stand there without speak- and dozens were treated for The European Union’s top on Tuesday. He also linked visit to Ceuta.
ing,” Farkani told The Asso- hypothermia or small inju- migration official – Home the sudden mass arrival to
ciated Press. “People just pass ries, the Red Cross in Ceuta Affairs Commissioner Ylva Spain’s compassionate assis- Many African migrants re-
and pass and pass.” said, adding that it was per- Johansson – described the tance to Ghali. gard Ceuta and nearby Mel-
forming coronavirus tests on incidents as “worrying” and illa, another Spanish territory,
Farkani was among the thou- the new arrivals. The adults called on Morocco to prevent The Spanish government of- as a gateway into Europe. In
sands of migrants who were were being transferred to people from setting out in the ficially rejects the notion that 2020, 2,228 chose to cross
sent back to Morocco. AP re- Ceuta’s main soccer stadium, first place. Morocco is punishing Spain into the two enclaves by sea
porters saw Spanish military while those thought to be mi- for a humanitarian move. or land, often risking injuries
personnel and police officers nors were sent to warehouses “The most important thing Foreign Minister Arancha or death.
ushering both adults and run by charity groups. now is that Morocco con- González Laya summoned
children through a gate in the tinues to commit to prevent Morocco’s ambassador, how- On Tuesday, another 80 Afri-
border fence. Some tried to Neither the government in irregular departures, and that ever, to express the govern- can migrants reached Melilla,
resist and were pushed and Rabat nor local officials have those who do not have the ment’s “disgust” and to com- 350 kilometers (218 miles)
chased by soldiers who used commented about the mass right to stay are orderly and municate that Spain rejected east of Ceuta, by jumping
batons to hasten them. influx or responded to que- effectively returned,” Johans- “the massive entry of Moroc- over the enclave’s double
ries by The Associated Press. son told the European Parlia- can immigrants.” fence.
Interior Minister Fernando ment.
Grande-Marlaska denied that “It’s such a strong invasion Moroccan Ambassador Kari- Morocco scored a diplomatic
unaccompanied migrants that we are not able to cal- “Spanish borders are Euro- ma Benyaich was later re- victory last year when the
under 18, who are allowed to culate the number of people pean borders. The European called by Rabat. previous U.S. administration
remain legally under the tu- that have entered,” said Juan Union wants to build a rela- under Donald Trump rec-
telage of Spanish authorities, Jesús Vivas, the president of tionship with Morocco based Sánchez appeared on live ognized Rabat’s sovereignty
were being deported. Ceuta, an autonomous city on trust and shared commit- television to announce he over Western Sahara, paving
of about 20 square kilometers ments. Migration is a key ele- would visit Ceuta and that the way for normalizing rela-
Spanish Prime Minister Pe- (7.7 square miles). ment,” she said. his top priority was to ensure tions between Israel and Mo-
dro Sánchez canceled a trip safety in the city “in the face rocco.
to Paris, where he was to at- “The army is at the border in Morocco’s loosened bor- of any challenge, any eventu-