Moroccan police arrested at least 111 people on Saturday as they tried to enter Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta. Authorities tightened security on both sides of the border after social media posts called for another mass migrant crossing.
The attempted crossing came two weeks after more than 72,000 migrants surged into Ceuta. The incident sparked tensions within the European Union and fuelled anti-immigration rhetoric among far-right parties worldwide. At least 96 people died while trying to reach European soil.
Moroccan Police Tighten Border Security
A source in Morocco’s Interior Ministry told Reuters that authorities detained 109 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and two Moroccan citizens. Police arrested them in or around Fnideq, the Moroccan city opposite Ceuta.
According to Spanish news agency EFE, Moroccan police used tear gas to disperse groups of migrants. The groups had gathered on hills about 3km from the border.
Reuters later saw hundreds of police officers returning from the hills outside Fnideq. Some officers wore riot gear, while others wore plain clothes.
EFE and Spanish state broadcaster TVE said Morocco’s Interior Ministry ordered their journalists to leave Fnideq immediately. The ministry did not provide an explanation.
In Ceuta, Spanish soldiers guarded supermarkets. Police also heavily patrolled the enclave’s main streets. The city remained calmer than during the days after the deadly crossing attempt on July 30.
Madrid has since installed a maritime barrier. It also deployed more than 500 additional police officers from mainland Spain. The move raised the total number of police in Ceuta to more than 1,600.
The Interior Ministry said the reinforcements would remain for as long as needed.
“We’ll continue to deploy whatever personnel are necessary to restore normality as soon as possible and prevent events like those of July 30 from happening again,” Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Thursday.
About 5,000 migrants remained in Ceuta, the minister said. Reuters saw hundreds sheltering from scorching heat under makeshift bamboo shelters on the urban beach of El Trampolin.
Grande-Marlaska said migrants who entered irregularly would not receive permission to stay in the enclave. They would also not travel to mainland Spain or obtain legal status, except in rare cases involving extreme vulnerability.
He said authorities would return those without a right to remain to Morocco.
Morocco Steps Up Checks
Earlier this week, Rabat said it was monitoring “the circulation of social media posts and messages of unknown origin.” The posts called for a mass crossing on August 15.
Moroccan authorities warned that they would prosecute organisers and participants.
A Reuters witness saw reinforced security near the border. Police vans with wire shields and road checkpoints formed part of the measures.
Local media reported similar measures near Spain’s other North African enclave, Melilla.
Authorities prevented several groups from boarding trains and buses to northern Morocco. They took these measures in cities such as Casablanca, Fez and Kenitra.
However, witnesses told Reuters that some migrants from sub-Saharan Africa bypassed security checkpoints. They used mountain routes towards Fnideq.
One witness said schools in Fnideq had become accommodation for security forces deployed near the border.
Migrants Urge Others Not to Cross
Many young people who entered Ceuta on July 30 were fishing, swimming or washing at Tarajal beach on Friday.
Driss Sadik, a 22-year-old from Fez, said he swam for five hours to reach Ceuta. He urged others not to follow his example.
“The important thing I would advise people trying to cross: Don’t cross now, my brothers. You’re only going to suffer,” he told Reuters.
Adil Jamil, 17, also echoed the warning.
“Those who enter aren’t going to benefit from anything. There will just be more and more of us, and they won’t find a solution for all,” he said.
Jamil said people “planned” the mass border crossings. According to him, they pick a date, gather in Fnideq and cross together to find strength in numbers.
“If I had stayed with my parents, I would’ve died slowly. But if I risk my life, arrive and build my future … it will be better,” he said.
