‘No protocols, no command’ – Spanish security forces condemn chaos in the North African territory
MADRID – Almost one month after 80,000 migrants surged into Ceuta, Spanish national police and civil guard officers have condemned the lack of clear guidelines to deal with either the initial crisis, or repeat attempts.
Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s prime minister, described the July influx into the tiny Spanish exclave in North Africa as a “violation of Spain’s territorial integrity” and deployed the army to Ceuta. The border of its other exclave, Melilla, was also closed.
In the aftermath of the incident, which broke out on 30 July, the prime minister did not declare a national emergency, leaving local authorities to handle the situation. Ceuta Mayor Juan Jesús Vivas has repeatedly called on Spain’s central government to step in, warning that the city is on the brink of “collapse”.
Sánchez eventually intervened on Tuesday after a three-week long summer holiday. He convened the National Security Council, a crisis management body, and designated Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres as head of a newly formed body for handling the crisis.
