Fadela Mohatar, Vice President and Press Secretary of the autonomous city of Melilla, reported through a recorded address to the media that the advisor on social policy, Randa Mohamed, sent a letter to the Minister of Youth and Childhood, Sira Regu, requesting the allocation of these funds, similar to what is planned for Ceuta.
The official stated that the government of Melilla requires these funds 'to the extent deemed proportional.' As a result of two nights of migratory pressure experienced by Melilla last week, another 144 children entered the city, bringing the total number of children in the city to 312.
Fadela Mohatar accused the Spanish government delegation in Melilla of twice rejecting urgent and emergency requests for equipment 'due to the unexpected arrival of such a large number of children.' According to the press secretary of the autonomous city of Melilla, Melilla had requested beds and mattresses from the Government Delegation to accommodate all accepted children 'during this sudden influx,' as this material was unavailable locally, necessitating purchases from abroad, which caused delays.
Mohatar described the Government Delegation's behavior as 'absolutely outrageous' and announced that 100 mattresses and 50 beds that the city was awaiting have already arrived. She emphasized that the claim of 'lack of attention, lack of furnishings, or lack of food' for children, publicly put forward by the Coalition for Melilla (CPM), trade unions, and NGOs, is 'absolutely false.' Nevertheless, the vice president admitted that 'the situation is particularly critical due to the scale of the circumstances,' which 'tests any protection system in a very short period of time.'
The press secretary defended the position, stating that Melilla began responding to the crisis in advance. She noted: 'From the beginning, we have been working with all available resources to guarantee the safety, attention, and well-being of all minors and workers at the La Purísima center.'
According to her, the company Tragsatec, which manages the La Purísima center, and its staff are performing 'hard work' in providing comprehensive care for the arriving children. The center has increased its staff by three social educators, six assistants, and two cleaners, and plans to hire another 15 assistants and accelerate the process of filling the vacant psychologist position, which had remained empty five times.
In conclusion, Fadela Mohatar criticized the CPM for not demanding accountability from the central government 'for negligence in its primary duty towards Ceuta and Melilla,' and also for not mentioning 'possible responsibility of Morocco for this terrible pressure under which the borders and sovereignty of' both cities found themselves.
According to updated data from Spanish authorities, about 72,000 people entered the autonomous city of Ceuta last week, located in North Africa, and 70,000 have already returned to Morocco. At least 77 people died while trying to reach Ceuta by swimming. Ceuta, a small region with a population of 80,000 located in the extreme north of Morocco, bordered by the Strait of Gibraltar, is one of the two land borders between Africa and Europe, alongside the other Spanish enclave of Melilla, where a large number of migrants also arrived.
