Spain defends Ceuta sovereignty after Moroccan migrant rush

Spain on Monday insisted its sovereignty over Ceuta was "unquestionable", after tens of thousands of migrants irregularly entered the north African territory from Morocco in an unprecedented and deadly surge.

Madrid has avoided criticising Rabat over last week's mass arrivals, which some commentators have interpreted as a means for Morocco to pressure Spain.

Morocco does not recognise Ceuta and Madrid's other territory in north Africa, Melilla, as Spanish and has claimed sovereignty over them since its independence in 1956.

Answering a question during televised remarks on Monday, Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said: "That Ceuta and Melilla are an integral part of Spain's territory is unquestionable, for the whole world."

Most of the estimated 50,000 people who rushed into Ceuta -- most having swum by sea around the border barrier -- have since returned to Morocco.

The Spanish central government's delegate in Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez, said Monday that 2,500 of them were estimated to still be in Ceuta.

Ceuta's top official Juan Jesus Vivas put the figure at between 3,000 and 5,000.

Dozens were enduring squalid conditions in a warehouse complex, including 29-year-old Nadia.

"We don't have water to wash or shower. The showers and toilets have been closed. Frankly, we're suffering terribly," the Moroccan told AFP.

Her compatriot, Asia, who had also reached Ceuta from Morocco, added: "There's dirt and mould. The toilets are filthy. Many people use them, and there aren't enough for everyone."

The charity Save the Children said "about 1,000" of the remaining migrants from last week's arrivals were minors who were "unprotected".

It said Ceuta's child protection system had capacity to look after just 100.

'Long process'

Spanish authorities said the toll of 72 people found dead in their waters had not risen on Monday.

Of those, "first we have to identify them, which is the first big problem, because many of them came without any identification," said a source in the Spanish government delegation in Ceuta who asked not to be named.

"Then we have to find out who their families are" through the Moroccan authorities, the source added. "Then the bodies will have to be identified by the families. So it could be a long process."

Some analysts suggested Morocco might have allowed migrants to cross the border to put diplomatic pressure on Spain, which has recently improved ties with Rabat's arch-enemy Algeria.

Spanish officials accused criminal gangs of spreading rumours that a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling on immigration would allow migrants easier passage.

EU interior ministers scheduled a video call for Tuesday about the Ceuta migrant surge.

burs-imm/rlp/phz