Spanish troops file complaint over Ceuta deployment

Spain’s leading military associations have lodged a complaint with the country’s ombudsman over what they describe as difficult conditions faced by service members deployed in Ceuta amid an ongoing migration crisis.

The associations are calling for measures to safeguard the physical and legal security of military personnel, arguing that their professional rights must be adequately protected but are currently not being fully upheld in Ceuta, EFE reports.

“Day after day, military personnel are on the streets of the city, trying to ensure that residents can continue to live as normally as possible, but they are facing circumstances that limit their ability to act,” the organizations said in a statement.

The complaint comes after a major influx of migrants into Ceuta in late July. Tens of thousands of people reached the Spanish enclave by swimming or wading around the breakwater separating it from Morocco.

In response to the crisis, Madrid deployed military personnel to assist with security efforts in the city. Authorities estimated that as many as 80,000 people may have entered Ceuta, although the vast majority are believed to have subsequently returned to Morocco.

By Vafa Guliyeva