Ceuta crisis continues as migrant camp destroyed by protestors

A month after tens of thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, protesters have set fire to a migrant camp and police officers have been attacked.

The crisis has spilled over into public disorder and the Spanish Government is under increasing pressure, including from its own MPs in the Spanish enclave.

Thousands of migrants remain in Ceuta, with emergency accommodation set up in public buildings and some continuing to sleep on beaches.

The Red Cross and other organisations have been providing food and assistance.

But tensions have escalated sharply.

This week, thousands of locals demonstrated over the impact on public services and amenities, while protests yesterday turned violent.

Demonstrators blocked a Red Cross food delivery before entering migrant encampments and setting makeshift shelters alight.

Police intervened to separate protesters and migrants.

Madrid has now declared the situation one of interest to national security, establishing a single command structure and making additional public and military facilities available.

The effects have also been felt across the Strait.

A small number of migrants have reached the Campo de Gibraltar by boat since the original crisis.

And Madrid is preparing to relocate thousands of unaccompanied minors from Ceuta to other parts of Spain, including an urgent plan for around 500 particularly vulnerable children.

Although destinations have yet to be publicly confirmed, centres in La Linea and Algeciras had been mooted as options. Spain’s Government has approved a E25m budget to help Ceuta care for migrant children.

The crisis is becoming increasingly uncomfortable for Spanish Premier, Pedro Sánchez.

Two PSOE representatives in Ceuta have publicly criticised their own government's response, while the parties Sánchez relies upon for coalition support in Spain's fragmented parliament have demanded answers.

The Prime Minister will appear before an extraordinary session of Congress next week to explain his Government's handling of the crisis.

Meanwhile, there is growing evidence that the mass crossing was fuelled by a coordinated disinformation campaign through organised networks. The Spanish anti-disinformation organisation, Maldita.es found reliable evidence of coordinated disinformation on social media networks.

For Gibraltar, it can be safely assumed now that any fears of an uncontrolled route from Ceuta into the Schengen Area have not materialised.

But with growing political pressure on the PSOE Government, which was instrumental in concluding the Gibraltar Treaty, developments in Ceuta will likely continue to be watched closely on the Rock.