Hundreds of North African migrants stage protest on Trampolin beach in Spain’s Ceuta
Hundreds of migrants who crossed into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta two weeks ago staged a protest on Trampolin beach on Sunday, demanding Spanish authorities grant them asylum rather than return them to…
Source: Free Malaysia Today · August 16, 2026 at 10:32 PM · AI-assisted report
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MADRID, 17 AUGUST 2026 —
Hundreds of migrants who crossed into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta two weeks ago staged a protest on Trampolin beach on Sunday, demanding Spanish authorities grant them asylum rather than return them to Morocco.
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The migrants, part of an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 still in the territory’s 80,000-person population, held up Spanish flags and banners reading “We don’t want to go back to Morocco” and “We are also human,” according to Reuters. They chanted slogans including “We’re tired” and “We need a solution,” while some washed clothes on the rocky shore and others fished with makeshift bamboo rods.
Most are living in makeshift shelters at El Trampolin beach or the city’s outskirts, enduring cold nights and poor sanitation. Ayoub Elarroud, a 36-year-old from Morocco’s Tetouan, said migrants were sleeping beside the sea and suffering from cold and bad smells, with police blocking them from entering the city centre.
Health services in Ceuta are under pressure. Enrique Roviralta, head of the city’s medical board, told Onda Cero radio that local healthcare workers were exhausted and criticised the central government’s slow response. He said diseases such as infectious diarrhoea and scabies were breaking out, and violence-related injuries were rising. On Sunday, health minister Monica Garcia rejected claims that services had “collapsed,” but acknowledged they were under strain.
“To associate migration with illness is unjust and xenophobic,” Garcia told reporters in Ceuta, adding there was a moderate risk of epidemic outbreaks for migrants and a low one for residents.
For many, the journey was driven by economic hardship. Mohammed Ouanzar, a 39-year-old automation specialist from Fez, said average monthly salaries of 3,000 Moroccan dirham (US$324) made it impossible to buy a home or start a family. “Once I reached Spanish soil, I felt like I was born again,” he said. “I’d rather die than return.”
Hicham Chikir, 25, said most migrants were eager to work in Europe. “If anyone is bad, the police can send them back,” he said.
Some migrants fled conflict or persecution. Emmanuel, a 30-year-old electrician from northeastern Nigeria, said he undertook a four-month journey across Niger, Algeria and Morocco because his children had stopped going to school due to fears of kidnapping. “I’m fighting for a better life for them,” he said, adding he would take any job offered.
Ousmane, from southern Senegal, said he sought asylum after suffering persecution over his sexual orientation but had yet to receive a response from local NGOs. “The worst thing is waiting all day with nothing to do, checking my emails constantly,” he said.