Morocco claims to have prevented a new massive entry into Ceuta

Moroccan security forces on Saturday foiled a new attempt at a mass entry into Ceuta. Hundreds of people, most of them of sub-Saharan origin, allegedly attempted to access the Spanish city and were intercepted by Moroccan soldiers. This group was waiting for the moment to jump the border hidden in Fnideq, the city on the Moroccan side. The mass jump attempt took place in a mountainous area, according to Moroccan sources informed the Efe agency. The sub-Saharan migrants have been dispersed, but they remain in the area.

Thousands of personnel, including soldiers and police officers, are participating in the security deployment that Morocco has activated for days in order to prevent a new mass entry into Ceuta. The city, guarded on the Moroccan side by Moroccan personnel, and on the Spanish side by members of the National Police, the Civil Guard, and the Army, is currently living with the fear that a mass incursion of soldiers will be repeated. Security forces from both Spain and Morocco have coordinated in recent days in anticipation of the possibility of a repeat of the late July entry, which resulted in a still unclear number of migrants accessing Ceuta on foot or by sea (around 80,000, according to the latest estimates), and which led to a tragedy, with at least 141 people dead.

For days now, social networks had been calling for a new mass entry for this Saturday, which has led to the reinforcement of borders, both on the Spanish and Moroccan sides. The Spanish government has increased the number of agents in Ceuta compared to the deployment that was in place the week the mass entry occurred: 880 National Police officers are deployed, an increase of 270 officers compared to July 30, and 714 Civil Guards, almost 200 more than at the end of last month. As an extra reinforcement, a Prevention and Reaction Unit (UPR) of 45 Spanish police officers has been sent to guarantee public safety, and twenty officers from the Central Brigade of Immigration and Borders, to assist in processing international protection applications that may be submitted.

On the Moroccan side, controls have been considerably reinforced on roads and at maritime access points leading to Ceuta. In addition, 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 displacements via the internet have been arrested.