The administration of the city of Ceuta reported that cleaning and disinfection work, which began in the mid-morning, was temporarily halted after several hundred people returned to the area, presumably to collect or find personal belongings.
However, sources in the region told Europa Press that some migrants returned with blankets and other items, intending to stay on the beach again, where one of the largest improvised camps formed in recent weeks following a mass influx into the territory at the end of July.
The government of Ceuta explained the suspension of work due to safety reasons. An official statement indicated: 'This situation forced us to paralyze operations for safety considerations to guarantee the integrity of the workers involved in the operation.'
The local administration noted that at the time of the migrants' return, there were no National Police or Civil Guard personnel present in the area, so the work cannot resume until the necessary conditions are created with proper guarantees. Due to the large number of people who returned to the enclave, the cleanup operation has been permanently suspended indefinitely.
The intervention was planned after a voluntary evacuation, which took place in the morning when more than 1200 migrants were moved from the beach to two new temporary accommodation sites provided by the authorities to reduce the load on the camp. The relocation was carried out under the supervision of the National Police with the support of the Civil Guard, who accompanied the migrants on foot to the facilities.
Sub-Saharan migrants were directed to available resources in Loma Margarita, while Maghrebi migrants went to adapted premises in Loma Colmenar, near the Tarajal border and not far from the University Hospital of Ceuta. The initial plan envisaged using the vacated camp to carry out a complete beach cleanup, including waste removal, collection of abandoned items, and subsequent disinfection.