Morocco says working to prevent potential new Ceuta crossings surge

What the report says

Morocco says it is tightening security and taking legal steps to stop another wave of attempted crossings into the Spanish-administered enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, after social media posts called for mass entries. The Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that it had increased border security and was monitoring what it described as anonymous online messages encouraging collective, illegal attempts to cross into Ceuta.

According to Al Jazeera’s report, Moroccan officials linked the warning to a new disinformation campaign that claimed the Fnideq-Ceuta crossing would open on August 15, a Spanish public holiday. Interior Ministry spokesman Rachid El Khalfi said measures were in place to block illegal passage and detain people involved, and the ministry said some individuals had been summoned for investigation.

The move follows a surge in late July, when roughly 72,000 people from Morocco crossed irregularly into Ceuta over several days, many by sea. Moroccan authorities later sentenced seven taxi drivers to prison terms and fines for allegedly transporting people toward the border. Most of those who entered have since been returned, but local authorities in Ceuta say about 2,000 remain there, including around 1,000 minors who cannot be deported under Spanish law.

The episode highlights the recurring pressure on Spain’s North African enclaves and the role of online messaging in encouraging migration attempts. Al Jazeera reported that Morocco has urged Spain to speed up the return of children and that deaths were reported during the crisis, with figures differing between Moroccan, Spanish and rights-group estimates.