Migrants’ Journeys Through Morocco End in Hardship in Ceuta

Casablanca – A recent France 24 report looks at migrants from Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria and Iraq, as well as Bangladesh, India and sub-Saharan Africa, who are living in difficult conditions in Ceuta while waiting for authorities to determine what will happen to them.

The report also includes accounts of migrants whose journeys had already taken them through Morocco, with some spending considerable periods in the country before attempting to reach Europe.

Among them is Rachid, an Algerian migrant who reached Ceuta on July 27. He said he had gone there looking for a more organized and developed society and greater freedom. Instead, he found himself facing difficult conditions and said he had begun considering a return to Algeria.

Rachid also advised Moroccans who were able to return home to do so rather than remain in the conditions he was experiencing in Ceuta.

Other migrants interviewed by France 24 had spent even longer periods in Morocco. Iraqi migrant Abderrahman had lived there for years before attempting to reach Ceuta. Nigerian migrant Kamara had also spent years in Morocco, while Tunisian migrant Sabri had been in the country for around eight months.

Syrian migrant Mohamed had been living in Rabat before traveling with a Syrian family toward Fnideq. He said they managed to enter Ceuta, while Spanish authorities began returning some Syrians to Morocco the following day. Sudanese migrant Muzammil also began his journey to Ceuta from Morocco on July 30.

Read also: Ceuta Identifies Only 6 of 82 Migrant Deaths After July Arrivals

The migrants’ accounts of life after crossing into the Spanish enclave were stark. Migrants staying on El Tarajal beach slept in tents made from reeds, fabric and other basic materials, washed their clothes in the sea and shared whatever food and water they had.

Muzammil said he spent three days without food or water before receiving assistance. Kamara said he went around 24 hours without eating and relied on begging and help from people to obtain food or a few euros.

Some migrants said they received only one meal a day. Sabah, an 18-year-old Moroccan woman who crossed into Ceuta, was among those waiting for a daily meal distributed by the Red Cross. She was able to stay inside the temporary migrant accommodation center rather than sleeping on the beach.

The report also shows how widely the journeys to Ceuta can stretch across North Africa. Egyptian migrants Tarek and Ramadan traveled through Libya, Tunisia and Algeria before reaching Morocco, with Ramadan estimating that around 55 Egyptians eventually arrived in Ceuta in search of work, a better life and a more stable future.