Migrants flood into Spanish enclave

An estimated 8,000 migrants swam or walked at low tide from Moroccan territory to the beaches of Ceuta earlier this week. The Spanish enclave in Morocco is one of only two slivers of Europe on the African continent. Spanish security forces have so far returned about 4,000 migrants.

What did Spain do about it? Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned Morocco to secure its borders or face strained relations with the European Union. Moroccan border guards stood by and watched Monday as a group of migrants attempted to cross. Their inaction prompted thousands of others to follow suit. The border dispute may be linked to a brewing diplomatic crisis between the two countries: The Moroccan government condemned Spain’s decision in April to give medical treatment to a Moroccan separatist leader sick with COVID-19.

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour about the seasonal surge of migrants arriving on a small Italian island.

Editor’s note: WORLD has updated this report since its initial posting.