48 days on the streets of Sebta: Saad ultimately chooses to return to Morocco
Saad managed to cross the border into Sebta. At 19, he thought he would continue on to Spain. But after spending 48 days on the streets, the young Moroccan made a decision that his friends still refuse to make: return home.
Since the mass crossings at the end of July, thousands of people have continued to live on the beaches of Sebta. At Trampolín, the shelters are made of branches, tarpaulins and cardboard. Those who are lucky find an abandoned mattress. Showers were installed only recently, and there are far too few toilets.
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Karim, originally from Tétouan, also sleeps on this beach. He initially found refuge in a wooded area, before the police forced him to leave. He would like a place in a reception centre to escape the nighttime cold and fighting. But he hardly dares to leave the camp: he fears being arrested in the city and taken back to the border.
His friends stay, Saad gives up
The opening of a new 1,800-place centre in the port was supposed to allow some of those who remained outside to find shelter. Saad and his friends did not get a place there. His companions decided to wait on the beach. He feels he has waited long enough.
The shortage of places is affecting other Moroccans in Sebta. Five women who had given birth remained in hospital even though they were medically able to leave: without accommodation, they would have ended up on the streets with their newborns.
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“Living on the streets for 48 days is a long time. I give up,” Saad told the journalist from Reformatorisch Dagblad. He announced that he would return home to Morocco. His friends, meanwhile, are staying in Sebta and continue to hope for a place.
