Moroccan authorities detained 148 irregular migrants on Saturday after hundreds attempted to reach the Spanish-administered city of Ceuta from the northern Moroccan city of Fnideq.
According to a local official, 128 of those detained were nationals of African countries, while 20 were Moroccan citizens. Authorities said a large security deployment prevented the migrants from reaching the border and kept the situation around Ceuta and Melilla under control.
Morocco increased security measures in response to calls on social media encouraging people to attempt mass crossings into the two Spanish-administered territories. Additional security personnel, surveillance drones, intervention vehicles and water trucks were deployed to prevent crossings and manage potential confrontations.
Officials said they would continue monitoring social media activity to identify individuals organizing or encouraging irregular migration attempts. Authorities also warned that efforts to facilitate illegal crossings could result in legal action.
The attempted crossing took place on a date previously mentioned in anonymous online messages calling for large groups of migrants to move toward Ceuta and Melilla. Morocco’s Interior Ministry had earlier warned that such messages could endanger people’s lives and exploit migration issues for activities prohibited under national law.
The border area near Ceuta experienced another major migration attempt between July 29 and 31, when tens of thousands of people reportedly gathered in an effort to enter the Spanish-administered city. Most of them eventually returned to Fnideq.
Morocco’s National Human Rights Council later reported that 14 people had died during that episode, while Spanish authorities placed the death toll at 80. Estimates of the number of participants also differed sharply, with Moroccan authorities citing around 40,000 people and Spanish officials estimating more than 70,000.
Ceuta and Melilla, along with several smaller Mediterranean territories, are administered by Spain, although Morocco regards them as occupied territories. Migrants from various countries frequently attempt to enter these areas from Morocco in the hope of reaching Europe, often driven by economic difficulties and conflicts in their countries of origin.
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