How has the Ceuta border been reinforced to avoid a new massive entry?
Spain and Morocco have deployed hundreds of agents in key locations and strengthened surveillance to counter calls that are being spread on social networks
MadridIn recent days, anonymous posts have been appearing on social media promoting a new mass entry into Ceuta this Saturday. To prevent this, both Madrid and Rabat have mobilized. "By providing ourselves with more personnel and material resources, and with a deployment of the armed forces," explained the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, this Thursday. "We will continue to implement the necessary personnel to help return to normality as soon as possible and to prevent events like those of July 30 from happening again," he added.
What does this mean? The Spanish government has increased the number of agents in Ceuta, compared to the deployment that was in place the week of the mass entry: 880 National Police agents are deployed, an increase of 270 agents compared to July 30, and 714 Civil Guards, almost 200 more than at the end of last month. As an extra reinforcement, a Spanish police Prevention and Reaction Unit (UPR) of 45 officers has been sent to guarantee public safety, and twenty police officers from the Central Brigade of Immigration and Borders, to assist in processing international protection applications that may be submitted.
Furthermore, the General Command of Ceuta ordered the cancellation of all leave for military personnel stationed in the autonomous city from Thursday until further notice, except in exceptional cases "duly justified and authorized," so that the military can reinforce border control in anticipation of a new entry of people from Morocco. All personnel who were enjoying their holidays in the Peninsula or in another country have had to return.
Reinforcements from Morocco
In parallel, Morocco has also made a move. The spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior, Rachid El Khalfi, made it clear on Wednesday that they have taken “all necessary measures” to “counter any attempt” to arrive “illegally” in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla and to “intercept anyone” who wishes to try. He explained that the areas close to the border crossings are being “constantly reinforced and adapted”, depending on “the evolution of the situation” and the “nature of the registered risks” in a “continuous surveillance system” which he wished to detach from a “specific date”.
In this regard, Moroccan media report that controls on roads and at maritime access points leading to Ceuta have been considerably reinforced. Furthermore, searches are being carried out on taxis and buses arriving from different parts of Morocco in order to intercept any individual or group considered suspicious. On the other hand, several people suspected of having incited the movements via the internet have been arrested.
The media outlet Le360 has confirmed that on Fnideq beach, five kilometers from the customs, and in the vicinity of the border crossing, the terrestrial metal fence has been reinforced and reinforced steel pillars have been installed in the middle of the sea, between five and ten meters from the coast. Concertinas – barbed wire on top of the fences– and netting have also been placed on the fences. As well as tens of meters of metal mesh to physically block any attempt to swim around the pier.
Calls to discourage entries
The instructions from Madrid and from Rabat have been aligned in an attempt to stop people who may intend to try to cross the borders. Fernando Grande-Marlaska warned that "no person" who enters "irregularly" into Ceuta and Melilla will be able to stay in the autonomous cities, will be able to travel to the Peninsula, or will be able to be regularized. In the same vein, Rachid El Khalfi warned Moroccan citizens that the calls circulating on social networks "imply new security risks," and asked them to "not be influenced by suspicious and misleading calls."
The President of the Senate visits Ceuta
Just this Friday, Pedro Rollán, President of the Senate, traveled to Ceuta and met with the president of the autonomous city. In the subsequent press conference, he advocated for “adopting with absolute urgency” all necessary measures to fortify the border, for example, by building “solid, reliable, and impregnable infrastructures,” and called for Moncloa to send the message that Spain is “capable of guaranteeing the security and integrity” of Ceuta and Melilla. Along the same lines, Juan Jesús Vivas asked that Ceuta's security “not depend on third parties” and lamented that the situation continues to be “absolutely unsustainable, exceptional, and of maximum risk”.