The Spanish Government has begun sending infrastructure belonging to its flagship START team (Spanish Technical Aid Response Team) to Ceuta, with the aim of strengthening registration and humanitarian support efforts for migrants in the Autonomous City, and streamlining the procedures for the return of those whose right to international protection has not been recognised.
In the words of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, “the stability and prosperity of Ceuta are also those of Spain and Europe. For this reason, they are an absolute priority for this ministry”.
Known as the ‘Red Vests’, START is a rapid-response unit of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), which reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation. It is a world-class team, ready to be deployed in any humanitarian emergency around the world, as was recently the case following the earthquake in Venezuela.
Today, the fourteen lorries carrying this infrastructure and the equipment needed to set it up will be loaded at Algeciras, and work on setting it up in Ceuta could begin as soon as possible.
The START emergency structures sent include 10 tents measuring 42 m² and 40 inflatable arch tents measuring 36 m², totalling more than 1,800 square metres and providing capacity to assist up to 600 people on the ground, with full operational autonomy in humanitarian contexts.
These new facilities will supplement the social and humanitarian tents already installed in the designated areas for the registration of migrants, thereby strengthening operational capacity and the immediate response in the area.
This new equipment, which stands out for its ability to operate autonomously and be set up quickly – and which was used in other emergencies such as the DANA – joins other consignments from the Ministry of Defence that are currently underway, comprising further tents and camp beds.
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