In Ceuta, migrants stranded at Europe’s gates await their fate
France 24 · LC · trust 48/100
CEUTA, Spain – Weeks after some 70,000 migrants tried to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, the ones who chose to stay have settled on El Trampolin beach. They hail from various countries, speak different languages and crossed many borders to get to this strip of sand. Europe seems very close, and yet so far.
By: Hamza HABHOUB Migrants rest next to makeshift shelters in Ceuta on August 15, 2026. © Jorge Guerrero, AFP From a distance, the reed huts lined up on a beach in Ceuta , a Spanish enclave in North Africa, appear part of an idyllic summer vacation scene. Sounds of laughter occasionally rise above the background swish of the sea and the smoke rising from tents on an August weekend could well be coming from beach barbecues.
But upon approach, a completely different scene unfolds. Tattered clothes flap in the sea breeze while their owners, barefoot and exhausted from long journeys, hang around the beach.
They are part of an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 migrants who remain after a late-July surge that saw more than 70,000 people cross the border between Morocco and Ceuta. The vast majority voluntarily chose to return home in the following days.
For those who opted to stay, it’s been more than two weeks of milling around a strip of coastline while awaiting a legal decision. They all have their own stories, their own hopes, their own dreams. But for now, they’ve all ended up on the same beach: El Trampolin.
Migrants lie on the sand of El Trampolín beach in Ceuta on August 15, 2026. © Hamza HABHOUB One of the most striking things about this gathering on the beach is the mix of languages and nationalities. Along with migrants from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, there are also Bangladeshis, Iraqis, Indians, Palestinians, Syrians, and Yemenis.
The tents here appear to be organised by nationality or along linguistic lines. Built from reeds, scraps of fabric and other available materials, they hold almost nothing under their shaky roofs: a few personal belongings and pieces of cardboard used for sleeping.
Clothes are washed in the sea, and essential resources, such as water and food, are shared. All around them, police cars are parked on-site, alert to any security incidents.
Kamara, a 35-year-old Nigerian, has just finished preparing his first meal after nearly 24 hours without eating.
By begging and with the help of a few benefactors, Kamara manages to either gather a little food or a few euros each day, which he uses to buy something to stave off his hunger.
Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa prepare a meal on El Trampoline beach in Ceuta, August 15, 2026. © Hamza HABHOUB “I’m tired of this whole situation, but I don’t see returning to Morocco as a viable option. I’ll stay here until they decide our fate,” he says.
Like most of the migrants from sub-Saharan Africa on the beach, Kamara spent years in Morocco before traveling to Ceuta in late July. It was a long journey that brought him to a European beach in North Africa – but it has not yet led to the life of his dreams. While Ceuta is part of EU territory, it is outside the bloc’s Schengen open-travel zone.
Mamadou faces a similar situation. A Senegalese national, he made the same journey, enduring the same hardships. He has filed an asylum claim and calls on the Spanish authorities to fulfill their responsibilities.
“I’m 35 now, but I feel like my life is going up in smoke. I see people my age who have jobs, travel freely, and live normal lives, while I’m living in the midst of suffering that grows by the day,” he says.
Despite this, he still has a dream. He says he wants to reach France , where he has a brother who tells him about Paris , its lights and its job opportunities.
“The problem now isn’t just reaching Europe,” he says, “but the uncertainty about what comes next: How long will I stay here? Will my asylum application be accepted? Will I be able to continue on my journey or will I be forced to return to Morocco? I haven’t the slightest idea,” he says.
Abdelmajid, a young Yemeni national, swam nearly eight kilometres to reach Ceuta. He was driven by a single dream: Europe. Arriving in the Spanish enclave a day before the massive wave of migrants arrived, Abdelmajid discovered a very different reality, far from the one he had imagined.
“When the events of July 30 and 31 began , the migrants were removed from the city’s shelter, and I found myself outside, homeless,” he explains.
Read more Around 60,000 migrants cross into Spain’s Ceuta exclave from Morocco
Since then, his living conditions have been difficult. But Abdelmajid clings to the hope that his asylum case will be reviewed and that he will finally gain legal status in Europe.
“ Yemen is at war, and the most basic conditions for a dignified life are being violated: no water, no electricity, no security or safety,” he says.
Abdelmajid (centre) and his fellow Yemeni migrants share a makeshift shelter on El Trampolin beach in Ceuta, August 15, 2026. © Hamza HABHOUB Not far from him, Tarek and Ramadan, two Egyptians, recount a long journey across North Africa: From Egypt to Libya , then Tunisia and Algeria , before finally arriving in Morocco.
The journey, Tarek recounts, was arduous and at times horrific. “We walk long distances before getting close to the border fences, then turn back, only to try again,” he explains. “In Libya, we were exposed to violence, gunfire, and situations that left deep scars on us, and we’re still suffering today.”
Ramadan says a significant number of Egyptians have arrived in Ceuta. He estimates the number at around 55 people. “We’re clinging to the hope of regularising our status and continuing on our journey to Europe,” he says.
While the vast majority of migrants arriving in Ceuta are men, there are also several young women who risked their lives to get here. Among them is Sabah, an 18-year-old Moroccan woman, who stands in a long line to receive her only daily meal, distributed by the Red Cross .
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