KORThe massive chaos caused by nearly 60,000 migrants flooding into a Spanish territory in North Africa at once has passed its peak. Nearly 50,000 of them have returned to Morocco. Rumors have emerged that Moroccan authorities deliberately instigated the illegal migration in retaliation.
Reporting by Kim Minpyo.
An endless stream of migrants pours onto a Moroccan beach.
People enter Spanish territory by bypassing the breakwater with its security fences from the ocean side.
The crowds crossing the border were even captured by satellite.
About 60,000 people crossed the border by sea and land in an unprecedented crisis.
However, within a day, about 48,000 of them returned on their own.
[Spanish Military Announcement: Please go back. You will face no disadvantages in Spain or Morocco.]
Suffering from hunger and feeling threatened for their safety were the main reasons.
[Imad (Returned to Morocco): The people of Ceuta did not sell daily necessities and pointed weapons at us. They threatened to kill us.]
In Ceuta, a Spanish enclave with a population of about 84,000, more than 10,000 migrants still remain, and anxiety is spreading as videos of looting by some of them circulate.
[Lydia / Resident of Ceuta, Spain: If the migrants have nowhere to eat and sleep, they will break into our homes. They will drive us out and attack us.]
Anti-migrant protests were also held in the capital, Madrid.
[Protest Participant: This is an invasion, and Spain is not for sale.]
Along with interpretations that a Spanish Supreme Court ruling prohibiting the repatriation of migrants who entered by sea triggered this crisis, allegations of Moroccan retaliation were also raised.
The speculation suggests that Morocco, a bitter rival of Algeria, intentionally relaxed border security to encourage illegal migration as Spanish Prime Minister recently visited Algeria, bringing the two countries closer.
Morocco used this same tactic to retaliate against Spain five years ago.
U.S. President Donald Trump remarked that it looked like hundreds of thousands of people were invading a country, using the situation ahead of the November midterm elections as an opportunity to check the opposition party.
[Donald Trump / U.S. President: If Republicans are not elected, the exact same thing will happen in the United States. Much worse, on a much larger scale, and they will get in much more easily.]
European countries have begun taking steps to block migrant entries, with Italy announcing the closure of its maritime and air borders with Spain.
(Video Editing: Kim Byung-jik)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
Video News
Video News
Video News
Video News
