Syrian refugees stuck in 'Spanish
Guantanamo' The Spanish city of Melilla, on the
North African coast, is providing Syrian refugees with an alternative way into
Europe. However, resources are being stretched by the new arrivals as Guy
Hedgecoe reports.
Nearly a year ago, Asif Duwara left
his home in Sweida, in south-western Syria. The war had not reached his town,
but it was getting closer and he feared for his safety. Travelling overland,
the 23-year old went first to Algeria and then, with the help of people
smugglers, to Nador in northern
Morocco.
There, he bought a Moroccan passport
and crossed from Morocco to Melilla, a Spanish city on the North African coast.
He is technically in Europe now, but plans to keep travelling north.
"I want to study in
Germany," he told DW. "My brother is there and we want to bring the
whole family from Syria to Germany."
Asif is one of thousands of Syrians
who have fled the conflict in their country and chosen this circuitous,
overland route to Europe. But unlike the refugees who take a more direct course
across the Mediterranean sea, the arrival of Syrians in Melilla is tightly
controlled.
Only an estimated 20 to 40 arrive in
the city on an average day, although on some occasions many more cross. Spanish
NGO workers who help refugees in the city say that the Moroccan police control
the flow. The Spanish border authorities are then obligated to let them in as
refugees. Morocco controls the flow
"Spain has reached an
unofficial border agreement with Morocco on the refugee issue - it's not
written down because that would be illegal - and a quota of arrivals has been
set," says Jose Palazon, of the NGO Prodein.
"Morocco controls the flow.
That's where 20 or 30 [Syrians] are selected each day and the selection is done
according to how much the Syrians can pay."
There are tight controls for Syrians
arriving in Melilla. Palazon says that Syrians who are
unable to obtain a foreign passport have to pay as much as 3,000 euros to the
Moroccan police to cross to Melilla.
The political party Podemos - an
ally of Greece's Syriza - has criticized the Spanish
government's handling of the situation. In
October, several senior members of the party visited the city and its immigrant
temporary stay center (or CETI) where many refugees are staying.
'Spanish Guantanamo' - "The situation is at a complete
standstill, there's a lack of foresight and a lack of resources," says
Miguel Urban, a member of the European Parliament for Podemos, which has
described Melilla as a "Spanish Guantanamo." "It's not the fault
of those in the center, who do what they can. It's the fault of the government
which isn't offering the necessary resources."
He points to the fact that the
center, which is on the outskirts of Melilla, was built for 480 migrants, but
it currently houses nearly 2,000. Journalists are not allowed into the center,
but some of the refugees inside said the conditions
were cramped and often dirty,
despite the efforts of the staff.
"It's very difficult here,
there are lots of people and lots of problems," says a 60-year-old Syrian
man who has been staying in the center with his wife and two children since
crossing from Morocco two weeks earlier and who does not want to give his name.
Despite having a heart condition he is adamant that coming to Melilla was the
right thing to do.
"In Europe there isn't any
war," he told DW. "If you come to Europe, there is food, a place to
sleep and there aren't any problems."
The administrators of the stay
center and the Spanish government were not available to comment on the Syrian
situation, nor was the governing Popular Party (PP). However, the mayor of
Melilla, Juan Jose Imbroda of the PP, has roundly rejected the criticism, describing
the city as being "at the vanguard when it comes to refugees."
Stuck in Melilla
Conditions in the migrant centers in
Melilla have been described as akin to a "Spanish Guantanamo" - Those who arrive in Melilla usually
spend two to three months there before being taken to mainland Spain and
granted a "red card" which allows them to travel freely around the
country. In the meantime, their passport is taken from them and their legal
status is reviewed, a process which can take 18 months or more.
The novelty of arriving in Europe
wears off for many Syrians after several weeks in Melilla waiting for their
paperwork to be processed.
"Melilla is not a good place to
stay," says another man, who does not want his name to be published and
who has been in the city for several weeks with his wife and son. He says he
does not feel safe and that the previous night some Moroccan men tried to mug
him, but he is determined not to judge Spain on the strength of this enclave in
North Africa.
"A lot of people [here] have a
bad idea about Spain," he told DW. Unlike many of his compatriots, he is
not planning to go elsewhere in Europe - at least not yet.
"I will not make a decision
now. I will see when I reach Madrid or somewhere else in Spain. If they treat
me well, I will stay. I want to be treated well. I don't want thousands of
dollars or euros in my bank account, I want to live and to start working as
soon as possible."
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http://www.dw.com/en/syrian-refugees-stuck-in-spanish-guantanamo/a-18840654
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