In Ceuta, younger migrants courageous the ocean to succeed in Europe

[ad_1] It’s midday, on a uncommon cloudy day within the hills above Ceuta. Round 60 migrants wait patiently exterior of the social canteen Luna Blanca, an NGO feeding lots of of individuals on this small Spanish exclave.

For some, it’s a day by day cease: a spot to get a scorching meal, see acquainted faces and socialise. Most of them arrived from sub-Saharan Africa or neighbouring Morocco over the previous two years. Amongst them are Adam and Anas, two 18-year-old Moroccans, who aren’t right here to eat right this moment: they got here to serve the day’s paella alongside Nihad, a 32-year-old prepare dinner from Ceuta.

Adam and Anas seem like brothers. They tease one another like kids who've grown up collectively. In actuality, they met solely final yr at Ceuta’s reception centre for unaccompanied minors, the place each have been positioned upon arriving onto Spanish territory.

They keep in mind clearly the day they swam throughout the border, braving the fog and pouring rain. “I used to be speculated to go together with one other man, however he obtained scared, so I went alone,” Adam says. “I stayed for 2 days in a home close by, checking climate apps to observe the ocean. After I noticed it was excessive tide and that the Moroccan guards wouldn’t be capable of attain me, I went for it. Solely my father and a pal knew, they each prayed for me.”

Adam swam for 2 hours, Anas for almost six. “I went all the way down to the shore a number of instances with out ever leaving,” Anas recollects. “And the primary time I lastly threw myself in, it labored. I wouldn’t have tried a second time.”

Ceuta, a gateway to Europe The 2 buddies are among the many 28 migrants who managed to succeed in Ceuta by sea in 2024. However the crossing usually ends in tragedy. “Many our bodies wash up right here,” says Nihad, looking in the direction of the seashore her house overlooks. “Possibly most individuals by no means attain the shore. Households usually come searching for their family members’ our bodies. It’s surreal, but it surely’s right this moment’s actuality.” In 2025, not less than 30 migrants died making an attempt to succeed in Ceuta.

On her cellphone, Nihad scrolls by way of dozens of movies of mass arrivals. The most important dates again to 2021, when greater than 8,000 individuals crossed the border in simply two days. Since then, the numbers have dropped; round 3,200 irregular entries this yr, based on Spain’s inside ministry, in contrast with greater than 11,600 in 2015 on the top of the migrant disaster.

However Ceuta, slightly below 19 km², stays far too small to take care of such numbers. Reception centres for each minors and adults are full, leaving dozens of migrants to sleep on the streets or close to the port, watching the ferries depart in the direction of what they hope can be their future: Europe.

Adam and Anas share that dream. “I’m ready for my papers so I can attain the mainland. I wish to work, proceed my research a bit, and save my household. After that, I’d prefer to go to Germany,” says Anas, gazing into the space. Adam nods: “My dream, if I get my papers, is to go to Spain first, keep two years, lengthy sufficient to seek out stability. And with God’s will, then go on to the Netherlands.”

“You’ll say that now, you don’t understand how chilly it's there!” Nihad laughs affectionately. She has promised to take care of them till the day they go away.