Thousands of migrants still in Ceuta after border crisis, local leader says

Between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in the Spanish territory of Ceuta following the arrival of many times that number of people last week, the north African exclave's leader has said.

While some on the right have pointed to an agreement with Morocco stipulating co-operation on returning migrant children to their families, Melilla's conservative leader has called for a "gesture of solidarity" from his mainland colleagues.

Morocco, for its part, has laid blame for the crisis on Spain's Supreme Court, with an unnamed government source briefing local outlets that "the deterrent element of the system collapsed and the dam gave way, not under the weight of the criminals, but of a judge's decision".