Spain's Invasion of the Moors > More than 1000 youths still in Ceuta; Sanchez provides €25 million to take care of them

 

Ceuta appeals for aid as child migrant crisis becomes 'unsustainable'

Europe

Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta has appealed for urgent government assistance after hundreds of unaccompanied migrant children overwhelmed its reception system following last week's mass border crossing from Morocco. Local authorities have warned that the situation is "unsustainable".

The leader of Spain's north African territory of Ceuta on Wednesday said the number of children left there after last week's rush of migrants was "unsustainable", pleading for government aid.

Spain said 70,000 of the 72,000 people who had entered Ceuta from Morocco in a sudden rush last week had now returned, after an incident that led to a spat between Spain and some other EU countries seeking a harder line on immigration.

But the roughly 2,500 who remain include hundreds of unaccompanied minors who are enduring dire conditions with limited access to food, water, shelter and sanitation.

Ceuta's leader Juan Jesus Vivas, of the main opposition conservative Popular Party (PP), told public broadcaster RTVE that authorities were taking care of 1,100 youngsters against a theoretical capacity of 90.

"This is an absolutely unsustainable situation," said Vivas, adding that there was "a high risk for order and public security" as reception centres were overwhelmed.

READ MORECeuta migrant influx reignites immigration divisions in Europe

Groups of young migrants continued to roam the streets of Ceuta on Wednesday, gathering in parks and beaches as authorities worked to identify and accommodate them, an AFP reporter saw.

The Spanish government's top official in Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez, conceded those youngsters were "a priority, a source of great concern".

The charity Save the Children estimates that around 1,000 "unprotected" minors are among the migrants still in Ceuta.

"We are asking for help, for assistance from the rest of Spain" through the leftist central government, said Vivas.

Any redistribution of the children to the rest of Spain under existing legal provisions is likely to meet resistance from regions governed by the PP and the anti-immigration, far-right Vox party.

Socialist deputy prime minister Carlos Cuerpo insisted on public television that the PP and its regional governments "must comply with the law just like everyone else".

'Serious trouble'

The ministry for youth and children has announced €25 million ($29 million) of emergency funding for Ceuta to help the territory of 84,000 inhabitants to care for the minors.

Vivas also said he had contacted Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's office on July 27 to warn that hundreds of migrants had entered Ceuta from Morocco and "we were headed for serious trouble".

Spanish legal authorities raised the death toll from last week's incident to 78 after a body was recovered late on Wednesday.

Morocco's interior ministry on Sunday said 11 people had died on the Moroccan side of the border, all but one by drowning as they tried to swim around a barrier in the Mediterranean Sea.

READ MORESpain and fellow EU nations bury the hatchet after Ceuta migration discord

The office said it would get in touch with "the relevant ministries" to address the matter, he added.

The following day Vivas said he asked the interior ministry to declare a national state of emergency but was told this was "not legally possible".

"We gave sufficient warning that the situation was becoming extremely strained and that exceptional measures needed to be adopted," he added.

The government has maintained that it received no prior warning of the scale of the incident.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Spain: Sánchez announces $36,610,000 USD of public funds to care for ‘minors’ who invaded Ceuta

Aug 5, 2026 11:00 am By Christine Douglass-Williams5 Comments

Tests have confirmed that a significant number of so-called unaccompanied “minor” migrants aren’t minors at all. They’re adults who are exploiting the system. Earlier in July, official data underscored “a growing ‘farce’ in the handling of unaccompanied minor claims” across Spain. Findings showed a whopping “70% of tested ‘unaccompanied minor’ immigrants are actually adults.” Over in France, when 500 African “minors” invaded, 80% proved to be adults. The latest Spanish border invasion would be no different, but since Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is a socialist and a fully integrated member of the red/green alliance, he continues to destroy Spain from within, despite the toll on Spanish citizens; young Spaniards are increasingly seeing migration invasions as “real threats.”

 In Ceuta, a crowd of illegal Moroccan migrants is already establishing its own rules in the city

The crowd shouts “Allahu Akbar” at National Guard officers and drags a wounded migrant through the streets in protest against being returned home. pic.twitter.com/Q27cvVFLTW

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 3, 2026

Pedro Sánchez, European Union, Attribution

Spain’s Socialist Government Allocates €25 Million to Immigrant Minors Who Invaded Ceuta as One in Three Spanish Children Lives at Risk of Poverty

by Maria Herrera Mellado, Gateway Hispanic, August 4, 2026:

Breaking news from Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist government has announced an extraordinary €25 million package of public funds to care for the unaccompanied migrant minorities (commonly known in Spain as MENAs ) who arrived in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta during last week’s invasion.

The announcement comes as official figures show that between 28% and 33% of Spanish children live in poverty or are at risk of social exclusion—the highest child poverty rate in the European Union. That means roughly 2.6 million Spanish children are living in economically vulnerable conditions while the central government approves emergency funding for foreign minors who entered Spain during the recent border crisis.

The funding was announced Tuesday by Spain’s Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Immigration, Elma Saiz , who said the money will be used to provide urgent assistance to the approximately 860 to 1,000 immigrant minors who remain under Ceuta’s custody following the illegal mass entry of thousands of Moroccan nationals, most of them young men. The new funding comes on top of a previous €5.5 million allocation.

Saiz said the measure demonstrates the government’s “commitment” to protecting vulnerable people. Critics, however, argue that it effectively rewards what they describe as a mass illegal border incursion that challenged Spain’s sovereignty while thousands of Spanish children continue to face severe economic hardship….

Here's an idea. Have the Red Cross deliver the food, etc to the Morocco side of the gates.

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Ninth night of Gen-Z corruption protests in Morocco

 

Gen Z anti-corruption protests sweep Morocco for ninth night

Africa

Hundreds of young Moroccans took to the streets on Sunday for the ninth straight night of demonstrations calling for an end to corruption and a change of government. The rallies, organised online by the anonymous GenZ 212 collective, have spread across cities nationwide since September 27, shaking one of North Africa’s most stable countries.

Issued on: 05/10/2025 - 23:50

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FRANCE 24

A person runs past a torched police vehicle as youth led protests calling for healthcare and education reforms turned violent, in Sale, Morocco, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. © Mosa'ab Elshamy, AP

Young Moroccans took to the streets on Sunday in cities across the kingdom for the ninth consecutive night of protests calling for an end to corruption and a change of government.

Organised online by the GenZ 212 collective, whose founders have remained anonymous, the rallies have swept the usually stable North African country since September 27.

Protesters have demanded reforms to social services, especially health and education, and voiced anger over social inequality.

In Casablanca, crowds gathered in the working-class El Fida district, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, according to live broadcasts from Moroccan media.

Similar slogans were chanted in the northern city of Tetouan, where hundreds of protesters gathered, the broadcasts showed.

In the capital, Rabat, around a hundred demonstrators rallied in front of the country’s parliament, shouting “The government is corrupt.”

Read moreGeneration Z is stirring up rebellion across borders, from Morocco to Madagascar

“Reforms to the health and education sectors are essential. We’re aware that will take time, but we have to start somewhere,” said Imran, 20, speaking to AFP on the fringes of the protest.

GenZ 212, which has more than 180,000 members on Discord, insists on the non-violent nature of its protests, which have been largely peaceful so far.

There were, however, reports of violence in several smaller towns following Wednesday’s demonstrations.

Three people were killed by gendarmes that night in what authorities described as “legitimate defence” after the group allegedly tried to storm a station in the village of Lqliaa, near Agadir.

The rallies follow on from isolated protests that broke out in mid-September in several cities after reports that eight pregnant women had died at Agadir’s public hospital after being admitted for caesarean sections.

Demonstrators have seized on the deaths as evidence of the public health sector’s failings, fuelling wider discontent over social inequality.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Bits and Bites from Around the World > Culling street dogs in Morocco, by the millions; Pygmy Owl survives hit by car in central B.C.

 

Three MILLION dogs to be killed in Morocco ahead of the FIFA World Cup in a‘brutal clean-up of the streets'

by Taryn Pedlar, Daily Mail, January 14, 2025:

A top conservationist has condemned Morocco and urged FIFA to take action over the slaughter of three million street dogs ahead of the 2030 World Cup.

Campaigners claim that the animals could be killed in a brutal ‘clean-up’ operation to make cities more presentable to visiting football fans.

Reports suggest thousands of stray dogs have already been massacred in venues across the North African nation, with fears the killings are escalating.

Jane Goodall, a prominent animal rights campaigner, has now written to the international football association demanding immediate action, accusing the organisation of turning a blind eye to what she calls ‘a horrific act of barbarity’.

In the letter addressed to FIFA’s Secretary General Mattias Grafström, Goodall said she was left appalled to see that Moroccan authorities were engaging in the large-scale killings – an initiative which allegedly stopped in August 2024.

‘I am equally appalled to learn from the IAWPC – International Animal Coalition that you have been presented with detailed dossiers documenting these horrific acts, most of which are conducted in the most brutal and cruel fashion imaginable, and yet appear to have ignored them,’ she continued.

The animal rights activist then questioned how football fans around the world would react if they knew of the brutality the helpless animals were facing in the run up to the games….

 

'Tiny but tough,' Pygmy Owl survives

being hit by car in Cariboo

A Northern Pygmy Owl survived being hit by a car thanks to a local birder

Patrick Davies
a day ago

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1 / 9 A Northern Pygmy Owl dubbed Tiny But Tough who was hit by a car on Highway 97 peers at the camera. (Murray Zelt photo)Murray Zelt

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A Northern Pygmy Owl proved its toughness earlier this month after getting hit by a car on Highway 97 in early January.

The incident occurred around Jan. 8 near the turnoff to Canim Hendrix Road while local wildlife photographer Murray Zelt was out photographing the diminutive predator. Zelt said he saw the accident happen in real-time and was horrified. Springing into action Zelt dashed onto the highway to retrieve what he thought was the owl's corpse only to be surprised when it started showing signs of life. 

"I ran out and picked it up with my bare hands and took it back to my car. I was literally in tears, I love watching these beautiful creatures," Zelt said. "I was kind of praying, basically, don't let it die but its little feet and talons were still quivering so I knew there was still a pulse and a chance." 

Zelt has been photographing wildlife for several years now since his forced retirement after the Chasm Sawmill closed down in 2019. He said he has always enjoyed being out in nature to camp and fish, so taking photos of wildlife and his adventures was a natural fit. 

One of his favourite subjects to take pictures of includes the 17 different species of owls that make B.C. their home. This winter he said he has been seeing a lot more owls than usual and noticed a Northern Pygmy Owl hunting near Highway 97 on Jan. 7. After photographing it he decided to return the next day to get some more photos. 

"This year has been an incredible year for the owls for whatever reason, because of the mild winter," Zelt remarked. "It's pretty neat to see them 'cause they're not that common, normally." 

When he returned Zelt said it was late in the afternoon and he watched the owl hop from power line to power line peering down into the ditches. Zelt remarked the Northern Pygmy Owl was hunting for voles, one of its primary food sources. Suddenly Zelt said he saw it dart down into the snow and then after a few seconds come up with a vole in its talons. 

"It burst out of the snow and this vole was as big as the owl, almost the exact same size, it was incredible. Instead of flying back up onto the powerline or a nearby branch of a tree or shrub it darted across the highway around shoulder height," Zelt said. "I could see it unfold right in front of my eyes as this car, going about 90 clicks, nails it dead on the and owl bounced on the road. I literally yelled 'oh no!"

Another vehicle passed over the top of the owl before Zelt was able to retrieve it from the road. At first, Zelt thought the owl's claws twitching were its death spasms but after getting into his car, intending to take it home for a burial, he noticed the owl trying to stand up, much to his shock. 

Worried the owl would start trying to fly in his car, Zelt grabbed a cloth grocery bag and picked the owl up to put it inside. When he grabbed it he said it sunk his talons into his finger, another encouraging sign.

"It didn't feel good, let me tell you. There were three of them all embedding into my finger so I had to pry them one at a time with my other hand. Didn't draw blood but I thought 'gee, it's got some life, it's got some strength'."

After driving to his home in Lac La Hache, Zelt put the owl in a shoe box and called up the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL). A few years ago Zelt said he took care of a Great Horned Owl who had also been hit by his nephew, so he has contacts with OWL. They told him to keep the owl for observation overnight and if it was able to fly in his home with no discernable injuries he should be alright to release it back into the wild. 

"He said you would be surprised by how tough these little guys are. Sometimes they can really take a licking and keep on ticking," Zelt remarked. "That evening I went to check on it and it was looking, turning its head around and seemed very alert. I'm thinking this is a miracle and when I went to close the box it flew right over the top of my shoulder and landed on top of my tennis racket." 

Zelt said he nicknamed the owl TBT after that, short for Tiny But Tough, and made plans to release it the next day. Calling up a wildlife photographer friend from Canim Lake, named Mernie Senchuk, to help in the release the two headed out to the general area where he found the owl, though they made sure to stay well away from the highway. 

"I opened the box and pulled it out and it literally sat on my hand for about five seconds. It was almost like a thank you or farewell and then it just flew off really strong and far off into the bushes," Zelt remarked. "We were unbelievably impressed it was back where it belonged. It really seems like a miracle, I have no idea how it survived that impact. It was a beautiful ending, for sure." 

Over the last few days since releasing TBT, Zelt said he's seen a Northern Pygmy Owl near the same area and he believes it is now back to its usual "risky business." While he's happy with the outcome, Zelt said this story illustrates the importance of keeping an eye out for owls around dawn and dusk near roads. Senchuk herself told him driving back from the release she had to slam on the brakes when another pygmy owl flew out in front of her. 

"(People) should be aware when they're driving near dawn and dusk there are a lot of owls this year. Quite a few people I connect with on social media or birding sites are all saying the same thing. I think it's the low snow load we have combined with the low weather. They truly are everywhere this year and we need to be a little extra cautious and give them their space."