The journey to Ceuta: eight hours at sea, fog and the cries of those drowning

Hicham Habanette is a victim of circumstances. Originally from Agadir, he lost part of his family in last year’s earthquake that devastated the Atlas Mountains. September 9 marks the first anniversary of the tragedy. Then his father, the head of the family, died. With no future and being one of those responsible for the success of the rest of this family, he decided this summer to seek his fortune in Europe. A few days ago, he boarded a bus in his city to make a journey of almost ten hours to the north of Morocco. Once there, he waited until it was foggy and the visibility of the authorities was zero. He stepped into an avalanche and jumped into the sea on Monday at 11:00 p.m. in Castillejos. “I spent eight hours in the water in the fog. I wasn’t afraid. “I just thought that when I arrived I would have another life,” Hicham told ABC yesterday at the gate of the Temporary Internment Center for Foreigners (CETI). In front of the fence, talking with the security guards, there is a group of about twenty people. They are all adults, they want to be welcomed in this center, but it is collapsed. According to sources from the Government Delegation in Ceuta, 790 immigrants are being welcomed, while the reception capacity is 512. The places are multiplying, allowing for residential areas that were intended for other uses. This is one of the critical points of this migratory crisis, which is overwhelming the autonomous city, while the president of the government, Pedro Sánchez, is on a tour of Africa with an eye on the Canary Islands. On the beach of Tarajal, life flows freely. in the afternoon normally. There is no entry or deployment. The visibility allows one to easily see the coasts of Morocco. “If the fog comes from the east, they might try to enter,” says a worker in the area. Riduan Blalet entered Monday in the fog and the night. He is from Tetouan. Remember the screams of those who were drowning. “Those who are screaming are the children. They are the ones who are drowning. While swimming, we gave one a float, the other flippers. We don’t want them to die. Here, among all of us, we know this month that there are 60 drowned or missing,” says this 39-year-old Moroccan. Related news Classic migration crisis Yes The opposition accuses the president of causing a “pull effect” on his African continent. visit Pilar De la CuestaHis story It’s special. Riduan was an unaccompanied minor. A “mena”. Years ago, he entered Ceuta illegally. He was welcomed. They took him to Madrid and he even studied at the Rosalía de Castro Institute in Leganés. He lived in Madrid for ten years, but in 2012 he lost his job because of the crisis. He decided to return to Morocco. Twelve years later, hunger presses him and nothing keeps him in his country: “We take risks because we have to eat. You have to do something to survive. “You can’t live on 300 euros a month, like in Tetouan.” That’s why he jumped into the water and crossed, but he can’t get the dead out of his mind. “Too many dead” “We could hear them screaming. We can hear them screaming from the beach before they drown. They come and go if there is fog, but they don’t know which way the tide is. Often they come in when the sea welcomes them. You have to go in when it comes from the south, which brings us to Ceuta. Many come from other parts of Morocco, see the fog, go into the water and die. There are too many deaths this month,” adds Riduan. The reception centres are saturated. Young people who arrived in Ceuta in recent days JJ MadueñoThe effort is titanic. “I swam about six kilometres. I was in the water for nine hours. I have family in Murcia and I hope to find a job as a welder,” adds Kamal Zakrati, who arrived from a small town near Casablanca, also with a journey of almost half a day by bus. He entered one of the avalanches to overwhelm the Moroccan authorities. “There are hundreds of us, the military in Morocco arrests about 200, then the Civil Guard arrests another 150, but we, the 20 or 30 who are here, are the lucky ones. We slipped through and survived,” adds Riduan. Many of them are minors. Ceuta already has more than 500 in its centres. Its reception capacity is 80. When the 150 are exceeded, the referrals must begin. They do not arrive on time. The three centers are looking for ways to expand. The one in Esperanza exceeds its capacity. Piniers in a super welcoming city. The Tarajal warehouses are once again a temporary place of stay for children. There is no place to put them, they are even considering asking the Ministry of Defense to give up the disused barracks to install them there. Emergency solutions are being sought while the Sánchez government acts and the autonomous communities agree to increase quotas. Meanwhile, the Canary Islands and Ceuta are planning a summit between the two to see how they will respond to this crisis. In addition, in the autonomous city itself, President Juan Jesús Vivas (PP) is trying to reach an agreement with the PSOE to create an immigration forum in which to agree on common demands and lobby for help. Ceuta’s request for help is desperate. If immigrants continue to enter via the beaches on foggy nights, there is a fear that they will end up on the streets because they have no decent place to house them.

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