Spanish police report 15 cases of sexual violence in Ceuta since July

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Spanish police have identified 15 cases of sexual violence in Ceuta, Spain's North African enclave, since July, according to Spanish newspaper El Español, which cited police sources. The cases, including rape, occurred amid a breakdown in order and security that followed a surge of irregular migration, and two people have been detained in connection with the incidents. El Mundo reported the most recent case on Friday evening, when three people allegedly attempted to sexually assault a 10-year-old child. El Confidencial had earlier cited Ceuta's Spanish government delegation and police sources in reporting that six suspected sexual assaults targeting migrants were under investigation. Ceuta experienced a sharp influx of irregular migrants from Morocco in late July. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said around 72,000 migrants entered the territory during that period. Ceuta authorities said on Tuesday that roughly 10,000 migrants remained in the city. Moroccan security forces on Saturday prevented hundreds of irregular migrants, most from African countries, from crossing in groups from Fnideq into Ceuta. Ceuta and Melilla are administered by Spain, though Rabat considers the two cities "occupied Moroccan territory."