CEUTA, Spain, Sept 2 - Residents in Spain's Ceuta appealed for calm on Wednesday as hundreds of rallies were planned nationwide in solidarity with the North African enclave, which is suffering an unprecedented migration crisis that many blame on the central government.

Nearly five weeks after at least 72,000 people crossed from Morocco in a deadly border surge, Ceuta's authorities estimate that over 10,000 migrants, including unaccompanied minors, remain stranded in makeshift camps or scattered across streets and beaches in the enclave.

Their presence has triggered near-daily protests by locals against the Spanish government's handling of the crisis, with demonstrators calling for the migrants to be sent back to their countries of origin or redistributed across Spain.

"The government has failed to act in a critical situation. It's spiralling out of control. We're tired, just like those who came are getting tired, and tensions are rising. There's a point where this will become a powder keg," said Lola, a middle-aged Ceuta resident who gave only her first name.

Francisco Garcia Segado, who heads residents' association FPAV Ceuta, said organisers of the demonstration wanted it to be "clean, free, without disrespecting anyone", and to bar the far right from taking part over concern that activists coming from mainland Spain could stoke violence.

"What we want is tranquility... to go back to normal. Going back to normal means everyone being sent back where they came from," he said.

Recent protests featured sporadic attacks against a makeshift migrant camp at El Trampolin beach and arrests of Moroccan citizens who lobbed stones and bottles at army patrols.

POLITICAL DEADLOCK HAMPERS SOLUTION

Wednesday's Spain-wide protests were called by the FEMP federation of municipalities, dominated by the main opposition conservative People's Party (PP).

Spain's leftist government distanced itself from the initiative, accusing the right of exploiting the crisis for political benefit.