Spanish enclave stands between hope and despair

Border fence with razor wire is a formidable hurdle to overcome before refugees and migrants can enter Europe.

Ceuta, Spain – A border fence with razor wire on this island is the last hurdle to overcome before refugees and migrants can enter Europe.

Yet making it to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco is not easy, whether by sea or land.

The fence is a formidable barrier and security is tight for fear of infiltration by sympathisers of ISIL/ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.

Ceuta and the other Spanish enclave of Melilla are the only two land borders between the European Union and Africa.

A seven-metre-high double fence separates Cueta from Morocco, with guards stationed on both sides of the border.

The fence is about 8km long and surrounds the enclave. It was first built back in the 1990s to stop illegal trade and has been fortified since. These days, it is also monitored with heat-sensitive cameras.

Yet despite all this, the border fence only acts as a deterrent.