Daniel Lopez, President of Spain's Professional Police Union (SPP), called for stronger diplomatic cooperation with Morocco to speed up the return of migrants without a legal right to remain.

He said Ceuta was "a long way from returning to normal" and accused the central government of failing to provide sufficient personnel and resources.

Carlos Prieto, Secretary General of Spain's Unified Police Union (SUP), also called for "extraordinary measures" to identify and process new arrivals.

Police unions further criticised conditions for some officers deployed to Ceuta, alleging they had been forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor and share limited bathroom facilities.

Aaron Rivero, General Secretary of the JUPOL police union, said officers had also faced violent incidents involving knives and machetes. "There were fights among them - with machetes and knives - and when the police showed up, they all banded together to attack us," Rivero said.

The unions said the Government Delegation in Ceuta had not responded to requests for meetings. Tuesday's talks were attended by PP representatives and Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas.

Afloun said Faten worked and played football but felt she had no future in Morocco.

"She left to build her future, to have money, and to help her mother so that I would not have to work, to help the sick one get treatment, and to help us pay the rent and the water and electricity bills. She was the home's pillar," she said.

She added that Faten had been told she could obtain a football-related visa through a club president, although she did not know the details.

The Moroccan Professional Footballers Association expressed its sorrow over Al-Azizi's death.

Her death came during a mass attempt to reach Ceuta from Fnideq, when tens of thousands of people headed towards the Spanish enclave by land and sea. Spanish authorities estimated that between 50,000 and 60,000 people crossed into Ceuta, many by swimming around coastal border barriers, before most later returned to Morocco.

Resident David blamed Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's migration policies and accused Morocco of using the crossings to pressure Spain.

"We have a feeling inside that we are on edge, with tears, with frustration, with hopelessness," he said. Tensions resurfaced after members of the far-right group Nucleo Nacional and political activist Alvise Perez visited the city, triggering counter-demonstrations.

Another resident, Helena, criticised the visit and questioned Morocco's claim that it had no prior knowledge of the mass crossing.

Spanish authorities said at least 67 people died during the incident, with many drowning while attempting to swim around coastal barriers.

The Atlantic route accounted for around 9,757 deaths in 2024, making it the deadliest migratory passage in the world. Caminando Fronteras also notes the increasing cases via the Algerian/Mediterranean route, which accounted for almost half of the victims.

2025 registered a drop in illegal migration along Europe’s maritime routes. A report shows that about 17,000 migrants made it to Spain’s Canary Islands in 2025, just 40% of the previous year’s numbers. Another report indicates a drop in migrant mortality, but reveals that 70 boats disappeared with everyone on board, casting a shadow on the decline.

For the families of Senegalese migrants who brave that terrifying journey across the Atlantic on wooden boats commonly known as pirogues – only to die or disappear before reaching Spain’s Canary Islands – the crisis offers numbing anxiety and despair.

Children, whose parents vanished in the sea, have been left with limited or no care, struggling with unspoken trauma , often engaging in child labour to afford their day-to-day basic necessities. Some hang onto the hope that their parents will show up one day, a longing that gradually spirals into hopelessness and nightmares.

Eleven-year-old Sokhna’s father perished in a pirogue fire in 2022 and now lives with her equally traumatised mother. “I always think about my father when I see the sea,” she confesses to AFP, adding: “When I dream about him and I’m scared because I really feel like he’s talking to me, the next day I go see my grandmother.”

Poverty is a major push factor for Africans who opt for these dreadful journeys, seeking greener pastures on the other side of the sea. Boats keep loading beyond their capacity, despite the obvious risks.

“One day, my father told my brother and me that he wanted to go to Spain and asked us what we thought. I said to him, ‘Dad, don’t go, don’t leave me alone, I only have you and Mum’,” Sokhna recalls her father’s burning desire to seek opportunities that would enable him to take care of her then hospitalised mother and the rest of the family.

This situation reflects the reality of thousands of children in Senegal and across West and North Africa who live with unanswered questions and regrets.

Europe’s attempts to patrol its waters and provide funding to African countries to help fight illegal migration are moderately succeeding in reducing the numbers, but it does not address fundamental issues like human rights concerns : arbitrary arrests, detention of innocent people, and forced returns.

Equally noteworthy, the policy does not fix the problem’s root causes, particularly the socio-economic hardship that pushes thousands to risk precious life. With widespread corruption and management gaps, the funding is largely diverted to the benefit of political actors, offering less or no relief to the masses who bear the brunt of unemployment and deprivation.

More importantly, the EU’s approach does little to provide relief to the victims’ suffering families, which deepens poverty and inequality, thereby fuelling the continuity of the risky treks.

It is commendable that Europe acknowledges that the problem should be addressed from the source. But this realisation must be backed by robust, evidence-based actions that not only prevent illegal migrants from getting to European shores, but also foster genuine collaboration with different players in African communities, both in government and civil society. The response should aim at eradicating the push factors, especially through advancing people’s human development.

The article solely represents the views of Simpson Muhwezi, a Ugandan freelance writer and development practitioner.