The Spanish Guardia Civil has confirmed that 15 rapes have been registered in Ceuta since the mass invasion from Morocco at the end of July, adding to mounting concerns over security in the Spanish enclave after around 80,000 illegal migrants crossed the border over a period of around 24 hours.
According to El Mundo, citing Guardia Civil sources, the 15 cases have been recorded across different parts of Ceuta since the unprecedented border crisis. Local outlet Teleceuta independently reported the same figure, citing sources quoted by Onda Cero and confirmed by El Mundo.
The latest incident under investigation occurred on Friday night in Calle Lisboa. Three people, described by sources as apparently brothers, were allegedly caught attempting to sexually abuse a 10-year-old girl.
The figure represents a sharp increase from the cases publicly known only days earlier. On 12 August, Ceuta’s courts said they were processing three sexual-assault cases committed by migrants who had entered during the invasion. All three victims were migrant women, one of them a minor who had reportedly been raped. Two suspects were remanded in custody, while authorities ordered the third to be expelled to Morocco.
Earlier reporting had already documented sexual violence amid the disorder following the mass invasion. El Español reported on 6 August that police were investigating the rape of a minor who had entered Ceuta during the 30–31 July crossing and was subsequently treated at the University Hospital before filing a complaint.
The Guardia Civil has meanwhile identified around 1,800 minors among those who entered, providing them with identification bracelets. Sources cited by Teleceuta said authorities have struggled to keep track of some of them after identification because reception resources remain overwhelmed. NGO Save the Children earlier put the number of underage migrants still in Ceuta between 4,000 to 7,000.
In the same article, El Mundo reported that police has also detained a man with a criminal record including terrorism offences and other crimes during reinforced border controls in Ceuta. An international arrest warrant had been issued for him through Interpol. He remains in the Spanish enclave while authorities process his possible extradition.
The arrest follows earlier reports that Spanish counterterrorism officers had identified at least ten people previously expelled over jihadism-related offences among those who entered during the mass invasion, although their current whereabouts have not been disclosed.
On 30–31 July, 72,000 to 80,000 illegal migrants stormed the Spanish enclave from Morocco, swimming around the Tarajal breakwater and breaching the city’s borders. Around 5,000 of them were still in Ceuta by the weekend, according to Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. Earlier, Pedro Sánchez’s government claimed that only around 2,000 remained in the enclave, with 70,000 immediately returned over the following days.
Spain has deployed more than 500 additional police officers, while Morocco has stepped up controls on its side of the frontier after calls circulated online for another mass crossing on 15 August. Moroccan authorities arrested at least 111 people attempting to reach Ceuta on Saturday.
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