Morocco detains dozens of migrants trying to cross into Ceuta

What the report says

Moroccan authorities detained dozens of migrants on Saturday as they tried to approach the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, according to BBC Africa’s reporting. Security sources cited by Spanish media and Reuters said 111 people were blocked in or around Fnideq, a town about 3km from the frontier, with most described as being from sub-Saharan Africa. Police reportedly used tear gas to break up groups gathered on nearby hills.

The operation came after officials in both Morocco and Spain reinforced security following a large influx into Ceuta two weeks earlier, when roughly 78,000 migrants arrived by sea in a matter of hours, according to the city’s mayor. BBC reported that authorities were acting amid social media posts and messages suggesting another mass crossing attempt this weekend. Morocco had said earlier in the week that it was monitoring such online calls and would prosecute people involved in organizing or taking part.

Spanish newspaper El País said security at the breakwater entrance was much tighter than the day before, while BBC noted that Morocco deployed army officers, navy speedboats and drones and Spain sent more than 1,500 officers to patrol the area. The broader episode has kept attention on migration pressure around Ceuta and on tensions between European governments over how to respond to movements across the Spain-Morocco border.