Migrant Settlement Grows on Ceuta's El Trampolín Beach

Thousands of migrants have arrived in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, with dozens now living in a makeshift settlement on El Trampolín beach. The group consists primarily of men from sub Saharan Africa, including individuals from Sudan, Senegal, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, who are seeking asylum from war and hunger. Many settled on the beach after failing to find space in the Centro de Estancia Temporal de Inmigrantes, a temporary stay center located on a nearby hillside.

The settlement has evolved into a structured community with cardboard shelters and self managed services. One resident, a former barber from Sudan, has established a makeshift barbershop using a broken stool and a blue pallet. Other migrants have constructed a mosque using empty milk cartons and a broken pipe as a minaret. While some residents maintain the public toilets, others urinate in the corners of the beach. The group receives food distributions from the Red Cross, which include bread, protein, fruit, and cookies.

Reporting on the situation differs in focus based on political lean. A center lean source frames the event as a humanitarian state of uncertainty for migrants blocked at the gates of Europe. A center left lean source emphasizes the resilience and internal organization of the migrants, describing the creation of a mini universe with its own economy and social structures despite unsanitary conditions.