Spain said on Saturday that the situation in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta was "practically" back to normal after the return to Morocco of "almost" all the migrants who had arrived in recent days, amid a migration crisis that has turned into a diplomatic row.
The Spanish government delegation in Ceuta said that only a small number of migrants remained in the enclave, and that the rest had been sent back to Morocco. The exact figures were not immediately available, but the delegation said the situation was under control.
The crisis began earlier this week when thousands of migrants, many of them Moroccan, crossed into Ceuta from Morocco, taking advantage of a gap in border security. Spain responded by sending reinforcements and working with Morocco to return the migrants.
Morocco has been accused of using migration as a political tool, but the Moroccan government has denied this. The two countries have been working to resolve the situation, and Spain's interior minister said that cooperation with Morocco was "exemplary" in handling the crisis.
The return of the migrants has been criticized by some human rights groups, who say that some of them may have been returned without proper legal procedures. However, the Spanish government has defended its actions, saying that it acted in accordance with the law and with respect for human rights.
