Reports that Morocco ready to cooperate on return of minors from Ceuta

Moroccan state media said on Thursday that Rabat was ready to cooperate with Spain and other European partners on the location and return of unaccompanied minors in Ceuta.

Tens of thousands of migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave in North Africa last week, with most now having returned to neighbouring Morocco.

But around 1,100 minors who arrived before and during the influx remain in Ceuta, although it has been suggested that this figure might be much higher.

Unlike adults, they cannot be summarily deported. Local authorities say many of the children are under the age of 14.

Officials say the youngsters are enduring dire conditions with limited access to food, water, shelter, and sanitation.

Aid groups are warning that they are at risk of abuse, violence, and exploitation as they sleep rough on the streets.

Jose Miguel Morales, head of Federacion Sur Acoge, a migrant rights and assistance group based in southern Spain, said some children have been beaten and assaulted.

"Every day that passes without a solution and without safe accommodation means leaving these children, especially girls, exposed to all kinds of abuse," he told Spanish public television.

The charity Save the Children has called for urgent efforts to register all minors, warning that girls in particular face "heightened risks of violence, trafficking and exploitation".

Citing a diplomatic source, Morocco’s MAP news agency says Rabat will work with the EU to identify the children with a view to “their return to their homeland”.

But these partners must "transcend the obstacles that their legislation and their administrative and judicial authorities place in the way of this operation," the source said.

The official death toll in the mass migrant rush has risen to 80 with some sources saying it could be as high as at least 100.