Ceuta crisis: Government names 'single command' as tensions rise

Nearly a month after a mass entry of migrants into Ceuta, the Spanish government has appointed a 'single command' to coordinate the crisis response, while local authorities call for calm amid rising tensions. The government says over 90% of the estimated 70,000–80,000 people who entered have returned to Morocco, but thousands remain, and the city reports deteriorating conditions and security incidents Source: La Vanguardia, Infobae.

Political clash

In a parliamentary session, PP spokesperson Cuca Gamarra accused the government of abandoning Ceuta and called the entry an "invasion," demanding the return of all migrants Source: ABC. Minister Félix Bolaños rejected this, saying "no army has invaded Ceuta" and blamed "two hoaxes" for triggering the entry Source: ABC, La Vanguardia. The government has also faced internal contradictions: Defense Minister Margarita Robles and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska gave conflicting accounts of whether intelligence warned of the entry Source: La Vanguardia.

New measures

The government has created a 'single command' led by Minister Ángel Víctor Torres, with a decree allowing transfers of migrants to the mainland, despite earlier promises to the EU that no one would be moved Source: El Confidencial. Torres will explain the plan in Congress, including resources and facilities Source: Infobae. The government also approved a reform of immigration and asylum laws to align with the EU pact Source: Euronews.

Local tensions

Ceuta's vice president Kissy Chandiramani urged calm after incidents, including an attack on soldiers in Benzú Source: Infobae, Listín Diario. President Juan Jesús Vivas plans to meet EU officials in Brussels to convey the city's situation Source: El Mundo. Meanwhile, the number of unaccompanied minors in Ceuta has been revised down to about 1,500 due to data duplication Source: Euronews.