CEUTA, Spain – National Police intervened on Monday morning in Loma Colmenar, Ceuta, after hundreds of Maghrebi migrants camped outside the reception tents attempted to force their way into the facility en masse. The situation required the deployment of a large police operation, with officers carrying out charges to contain the gathered crowd and firing warning shots into the air to bring the situation under control.
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The incident was triggered after some migrants managed to enter the Loma Colmenar embankment centre, prompting those who had been queuing for hours outside to try to advance simultaneously, generating a stampede in which the migrants began pushing and fighting among themselves. As tensions escalated, officers intervened to separate some of those gathered and contain the situation, with the police operation then beginning to clear the area of those who had remained outside the facility, many of whom had spent the night there. Police cut off the road and deployed officers at the access points to Loma Colmenar to prevent the crowd from continuing to grow, dispersing the migrants who had to leave the area with their belongings.
The origin of this concentration lies in the transfer of hundreds of migrants from El Trampolín beach to the Loma Colmenar embankment esplanade. The government had enabled this space to accommodate some of the people who had been in the coastal area, but over the days other migrants moved to the vicinity with the intention of gaining access to the facility. Approximately 400 people were allowed to enter on Monday, but once the planned capacity was reached, those remaining outside attempted to gain entry regardless, which triggered the incidents.
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The esplanade has become a makeshift camp in recent days, with migrants spending nights there, occupying the surroundings of the facility and spreading along the access road. The concentration has also generated inconvenience and conflicts in the vicinity of residential areas in Loma Colmenar and the University Hospital of Ceuta, prompting the reinforcement of police presence to prevent the crowd from completely blocking access and to ensure the safety of the migrants themselves, residents, and workers in the area. The situation reflects the ongoing challenges in managing the migrant population in Ceuta and the growing pressure on reception facilities that are operating at or beyond capacity. Authorities have not indicated when or how the situation might be resolved, as tensions continue to simmer in the autonomous city.
