Spain asks EU for help to process 5,000 Ceuta migrants amid local unrest

Thousands of migrants remain in the Spanish enclave, triggering anger among Ceuta residents.

Of the over 70,000 migrants who illegally crossed into Ceuta from Morocco in late July, some 5,000 still remain in the Spanish exclave. Ceuta residents have been angrily protesting their continued presence.

Meanwhile, Spain's interior minister called for calm after Ceuta residents clashed with police during protests against migrants who have remained in the enclave following a mass influx.

MADRID, Aug 28 - Spain asked on Friday for help from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in processing migrants in the North African enclave of Ceuta almost a month after tens of thousands rushed across the border from Morocco.

Ceuta residents are protesting nightly, tearing down and even burning migrant tents, and engaging in tense standoffs with pro-migrant NGOs.

Clashes broke out between police and protesters in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta on 27 August, amid growing tensions over the presence of thousands of migrants.

Spain's government took steps on Tuesday to speed up the return of thousands of migrants still in the Spanish territory of Ceuta following a mass influx from Morocco in July.