CEUTA'S "FORGOTTEN REFUGEES"
Three hundred African refugees are being forced to exist in inhuman conditions in the Spanish enclave city of Ceuta in Morocco. The refugees are now on hunger strike.
For two years, the refugees have been living in the ruins of Ceuta without water, electricity, sanitation and adequate food. Some of them are suffering from tuberculosis, and many have been attacked by rats, but the Ceuta authorities do not permit any medical or legal assistance.
The refugees are all from African countries affected by war - Rwanda, Somalia, Burundi, Niger and Liberia. As a result of the strict entry procedures of the Schengen countries, they have become trapped in a legal no-man's land. The Spanish authorities have chosen to forget them, and they cannot return to their own countries because they are being refused re-entry. Many lack identity papers.
Like the authorities, most of the local population of Ceuta are avoiding any contact with the refugees. Apparently, there is a widespread fear in Ceuta that any help to the refugees would trigger new arrivals.
The local government claims that responsibility for the refugees lies with the Spanish central government. The Mayor of Ceuta has expressed concern that if no action is taken, more refugees will arrive in his town. "Ceuta cannot become a ghetto of Europe", he stressed.
The refugees themselves have become desperate and have started a hunger strike to draw attention to their situation. Many of the refugees are highly educated and have organised good discipline at the camp.
The Andalusian Human Rights Association in Seville has been documenting the situation of the Ceuta refugees, and has produced an excellent report.
Source: UNITED for Intercultural Action, PB 413, NL-1000 AK Amsterdam. Contact Louise Bernstein at UNITED for further information: Tel: +31/20 6834778, Fax: +31/20-6834582.