Moroccan Police Arrest 111 Near Ceuta After Calls for Mass Crossing

Moroccan police arrested 111 people on Saturday, August 15, as they attempted to reach Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta, according to reporting that cited Morocco’s Interior Ministry.

The detainees included 109 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and two Moroccan citizens arrested in or around Fnideq, the Moroccan city closest to the border. Police used tear gas to disperse groups gathered on hills roughly three kilometres from the frontier, while security checkpoints were reinforced in northern Morocco.

Spanish authorities also increased their presence in Ceuta. More than 500 additional officers were deployed from mainland Spain, bringing the total police presence in the territory to more than 1,600. Soldiers guarded supermarkets and police patrolled streets as officials sought to prevent another large-scale crossing.

The security operation followed social media messages calling for people to converge on the border on August 15. Moroccan authorities had said they were monitoring the messages and warned that organisers and participants could face prosecution.

The latest attempt came two weeks after a much larger and deadly crossing into Ceuta on July 30. Spanish officials said people who entered without authorisation would not be permitted to move to mainland Spain or obtain legal status except in rare cases involving extreme vulnerability.