Moroccan police dispersed hundreds of migrants on Sunday attempting to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after social media posts encouraged the crossings, according to an AFP photographer on the scene.
Ceuta, along with Melilla, another Spanish territory situated on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast, has long been a hotspot for irregular migration as they are the only European Union territories that share a land border with Africa.
On Sunday, large groups, including Moroccans, migrants from other African nations, and some minors, made their way to the village of Fnideq, which borders Ceuta. However, Moroccan authorities swiftly intervened, preventing them from advancing, the AFP photographer reported.
Local media earlier reported another attempted mass crossing on Sunday, which was similarly foiled by Moroccan security forces. Over the weekend, authorities had ramped up their presence around Fnideq in response to online posts encouraging illegal crossings into Ceuta.
Despite the tightened security, hundreds of young Moroccans still managed to reach the area. They were apprehended by police during the night and sent back to their hometowns across the country, according to local reports.
A police official told AFP that 60 people had been arrested between Monday and Wednesday for fabricating and spreading false information on social media that promoted the organisation of mass illegal migration attempts.
In August alone, Moroccan authorities reported blocking over 11,300 attempts to cross into Ceuta and more than 3,300 attempts into Melilla.
While the land route remains a key crossing point, the primary pathway for irregular migrants from Morocco to Spain is via the sea. By mid-August, over 22,300 migrants had reached Spain’s Canary Islands, a 126% increase compared to the same period in 2023.