Ceuta/ Algeciras, Spain – Carrying their travel documents and ferry tickets to mainland Spain, 85 migrants left the Temporary Migrant Reception Centre (CETI) in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Tuesday after spending months there following their arrival in the city.
Most of those transferred are young men from Sudan and Chad, countries affected by armed conflict, political instability and humanitarian crises that have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in search of safety. Many are expected to enter Spain’s international protection system while their asylum applications are processed. The group boarded a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar to the southern Spanish port of Algeciras, where they were met by staff from the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR). The organisation assisted them before they boarded buses bound for different cities across Spain, where they will continue their reception process.
The departure comes as the CETI in Ceuta has experienced a rise in arrivals in recent months. Many of the centre’s residents reached the enclave by swimming around the Tarajal breakwater, which separates Ceuta from Morocco, while others, particularly migrants who had travelled north through West and Central Africa, entered by climbing the border fence surrounding the Spanish territory.
Among those leaving the reception centre was one of the young African migrants who reached Ceuta by paraglider, an uncommon and highly dangerous method that has claimed the lives of other migrants attempting the same crossing in recent years.
Also among the group was Mariam, a Moroccan woman whose story attracted international attention after she reached Tarajal beach by swimming with her nine-year-old son, Mohamed. They entered Ceuta despite rough seas and adverse weather conditions, risking their lives during the crossing. After months at the CETI, Mariam and her two children have now begun a new chapter in mainland Spain.
For the 85 migrants who crossed the Strait on Tuesday, the ferry journey from Ceuta to Algeciras marked the end of one stage of their migration journey and the beginning of another, with many hoping to rebuild their lives under Spain’s asylum and international protection system.
