The Defensor del Pueblo has ordered the immediate distribution of one bayonet per soldier deployed in Ceuta, after three military associations complained that troops lack adequate equipment. The first bayonets were handed out at the armory on Monday, where a queue of soldiers now stretches three years long.
«We are overwhelmed,» said a sergeant from the 54th Regiment, who has been standing in line since Tuesday. «I have been issued a bayonet, but I am still waiting for the rifle it attaches to. The armory says the rifles are on backorder from a warehouse in Madrid that is itself waiting for a truck.»
The Ministry of Defense has been given until Friday to explain why soldiers are still waiting for the rifles that go with the bayonets. A ministry spokesperson said the delay is due to «a logistical recalculation» and that each bayonet has been individually wrapped in paper bearing the words «handle with care.»
In response, the three associations have requested that the Defensor del Pueblo also investigate the shortage of socks, which they say has forced soldiers to share pairs during night patrols. The Defensor has agreed to open a second file, to be stored in a cabinet that has not yet been built.