Ceuta pleads for help as 1,100 migrant children fill shelter built for 90
The Spanish enclave's leader says its reception system has been overwhelmed after last week's mass crossing from Morocco.
CEUTA – The Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa has appealed for urgent government help after hundreds of unaccompanied migrant children overwhelmed its reception system following last week's mass crossing from Morocco.
Ceuta's leader Juan Jesus Vivas told public broadcaster RTVE on Wednesday that authorities were now caring for 1,100 children, in shelters originally built for just 90.
"This is a truly unsustainable situation. There is a high risk to public order and safety when reception centres are this overcrowded," he said, in remarks translated from Spanish.
Spain says 70,000 of the 72,000 people who entered Ceuta from Morocco during the sudden mass influx last week have since returned. The incident triggered a dispute between Spain and several European Union member states pressing for a tougher approach to immigration.
About 2,500 people remain in Ceuta, however, including hundreds of unaccompanied minors facing difficult conditions with limited access to food, water, shelter and sanitation.
Groups of young migrants were still roaming the streets of Ceuta on Wednesday, gathering in parks and on beaches as authorities tried to identify and house them, according to AFP journalists at the scene.
Miguel Angel Perez, the Spanish central government's top official in Ceuta, acknowledged that the children were a priority and a major concern.
The charity Save the Children estimates that around 1,000 unprotected minors are among the migrants still in Ceuta.
Vivas, who belongs to the main conservative opposition Popular Party (PP), said: "We are asking for help from all of Spain through the left-wing central government." – AFP/Agencies
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