The Ceuta border fence: The Tarajal

The Ceuta border fence is a border barrier between Morocco and the Spanish city of Ceuta. Constructed by Spain, its stated purpose is to stop irregular immigration, in other words, to stop people from Africa or other continents who are looking forward to improving their standard of living in Europe. Achieving this goal is not easy for them as the fence consists of parallel 6 metre fences topped with barbed wire , with regular watchposts and a road running between them to accommodate police patrols or ambulance service in case of need. Underground cables connect spotlights, noise and movement sensors, and video cameras to a central control booth; dozens of Guard ships and patrol boats check the coast, while 621 Guardia Civil  officers and 548 police officers control the shore. The Tarajal beach is one of the border crossing points in Ceuta. According to Amnisty International “on 6th February 2014 at least 14 people died just metres from Tarajal beach in Ceuta. Around 200 people tried to enter Spain at dawn that day. Fourteen of them drowned and 23 were sent back to Morocco after being picked up by Spanish Civil Guards on Spanish soil. After repeated denials from Spain’s Interior Minister, Fernández Díaz, the Secretary of State for Security, Francisco Martínez told Congress that Civil Guard officers had used “anti-riot equipment” to stop the migrants reaching Spain, firing 145 rubber bullets and five smoke canisters.” According to Amnisty International “what happened at Tarajal beach shows how Spanish and European border policies are forcing thousands of people to take ever greater risks to fulfill their dream of a better life, or to simply survive. An estimated 22,000 people have died trying to reach Europe from  2000 to 2015.” These photos were taken in April 2018 and show the Tarajal border crossing point and surroundings.