Morocco stops new mass attempt to reach Ceuta as almost 300 migrants detained

A total of 294 people were detained on Saturday around Fnideq, known in Spanish as Castillejos, according to Moroccan security sources cited by local media. They included 248 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and 46 Moroccan nationals.

The operation followed calls circulating on social media for another mass attempt to reach Ceuta on 15 August, accompanied by claims and misinformation suggesting that migrants would be able to cross the border.

Hundreds of Moroccan security personnel were deployed in the area, with riot police, checkpoints, razor wire and water cannon used to prevent groups from approaching the frontier. Some migrants were intercepted around three kilometres from Fnideq before being taken away by bus.

Attempts to reach the border reportedly began around dawn, but the scale of the security presence made a mass crossing virtually impossible. The deployment was in marked contrast to events on 30 July, when tens of thousands of people were able to enter Ceuta in the space of a few days.

The precise number involved in that earlier influx remains disputed. Estimates have ranged from around 72,000 to 80,000 people, most of them Moroccan, although the overwhelming majority have since returned or been sent back to Morocco.

The death toll from the July events is also contested. Moroccan authorities have reported recovering 11 bodies, while Spanish estimates have put the number of deaths at at least 80. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights has claimed that at least 141 people died.

Following the previous crisis, Spain and Morocco significantly reinforced security around the frontier. A long red floating barrier has also been installed in the sea beside the Tarajal breakwater, an area used by large numbers of migrants attempting to swim around the land border during the July influx.

The barrier was announced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during a visit to Ceuta immediately after the crisis. ALSO READ: Spain installs sea barrier as Ceuta slowly returns to normality and death toll rises to 72.

Spanish authorities had also been preparing for the possibility of another coordinated attempt this weekend. The Guardia Civil issued a warning in Arabic on social media aimed at people considering making the journey.

‘Don’t be deceived. Everything they promise you is a lie. If you throw yourself into the sea you will probably die. If you manage to cross, you will have entered illegally and you will be returned.’ ALSO READ: Guardia Civil say online campaign points to another possible Ceuta crossing on 15 August.

Moroccan authorities had announced additional measures on Wednesday after information about a possible new attempt began circulating online.

Security officials have also reported a crackdown on those suspected of encouraging irregular migration through social networks. At least 61 people have been arrested on suspicion of ‘inciting and promoting’ irregular migration online, according to Moroccan sources.

Those arrests are separate from the 294 people reported detained around Fnideq on Saturday.

Moroccan officials have not disclosed exactly when or where all of the alleged social-media organisers were detained, but say they intend to carry out ‘permanent’ monitoring of online activity in an effort to identify people involved in encouraging mass attempts to reach the border.

Independent verification of some of the latest information from the Moroccan side has meanwhile been made more difficult after authorities ordered journalists from Spanish public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE to leave Fnideq.

Both organisations have protested against the decision. RTVE president José Pablo López described the move as a serious obstacle to press freedom and the right to information, and called on Morocco to guarantee that journalists are able to carry out their work. EFE has also condemned the expulsion.

Security measures remained in place on both sides of the border following Saturday’s operation.

The latest attempted crossing comes as Ceuta continues to deal with the consequences of the unprecedented influx at the end of July. Thousands of those who entered the Spanish territory are believed to remain there, including a substantial number of unaccompanied minors.

Temporary shelters have appeared in some areas, including around Trampolín beach, creating growing concern among local residents and increasing pressure on the enclave’s authorities. ALSO READ: Spain imposes reciprocal border checks on Italy as Schengen dispute escalates. 

Madrid has adopted a tougher public position since the crisis, with government ministers insisting that people entering Spain illegally will be returned. Several ministers have travelled to Ceuta in recent days as the authorities attempt to manage both the humanitarian consequences of the influx and the continuing risk of further attempts to cross the border. ALSO READ: EU backs Spain after Ceuta migration crisis while ministers push for tougher anti-smuggling measures.

Ceuta’s long-serving president, Juan Jesús Vivas, has repeatedly criticised the central government’s handling of the situation, arguing that Madrid’s response to the crisis has been both too slow and inadequate. ALSO READ: Thousands rally in Ceuta demanding urgent action as migration crisis deepens.

The reinforced Moroccan deployment on Saturday appears, for the moment, to have prevented the feared second mass influx, but the continuing circulation of calls to cross the border on social media has left authorities on both sides maintaining heightened security around the enclave. ALSO READ: EU, Meta and TikTok join forces after deadly mass rush to Spain’s Ceuta border.