Morocco Arrests Over 100 Migrants After Renewed Online Calls for Mass Crossing to Ceuta
Moroccan authorities have detained at least 111 people who attempted to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, after social media once again carried calls for a mass migrant crossing into the territory.
Moroccan security forces have arrested at least 111 people who tried to cross illegally into Ceuta, a Spanish city on the North African coast. The arrests followed a fresh wave of calls circulating on social media urging migrants to attempt a coordinated, large-scale crossing into the territory.
Ceuta, along with Melilla, is one of two Spanish cities on the African continent. Both border Morocco while remaining under Spanish sovereignty and, by extension, forming part of the European Union. This unusual geographic and political status makes the cities a persistent focal point for people seeking to reach European soil.
The description of the online appeal as "another" call suggests that similar attempts to organise mass border crossings toward Ceuta have occurred before. Moroccan authorities responded by detaining more than a hundred people linked to the latest attempt.
No further details have been released about the identities or nationalities of those arrested, nor about what will happen to them next. It also remains unclear how many people in total took part in the attempted crossing or whether any migrants managed to actually reach Ceuta's territory.
The incident underscores the continuing migratory pressure on Spain's North African enclaves and highlights the role social media plays in organising and mobilising large groups for such border-crossing attempts.
