Rabat – Ceuta authorities are canceling annual leave for military personnel as new social media posts inciting new mass crossings to the enclave have emerged.
EFE reported that the enclave’s General Directorate of the Civil Guard and the General Command ordered the suspension of leave for military personnel and agents assigned to the city following the mass crossings that took place last month.
The suspension will be from August 13 until further notice, except in exceptional cases, according to defense sources quoted by EFE.
Marco Antonio Gomez, the president of the Spanish Troops and Seamen Association, said the order also calls on those on holiday leave to return.
The news came as Ceuta witnessed the entry of tens of thousands of irregular migrants, who were later returned to Morocco.
The massive entry took place on July 30, with Spanish reporters estimating the number of those who crossed the enclave at 72,000 from Morocco.
The military’s appeal also came as Spain and local authorities are frustrated over a new campaign calling for a new mass entry on August 15.
Thousands of personnel are already deployed in the region.
Earlier this month, EFE said Spanish authorities are monitoring social media activity inciting another large-scale crossing into the occupied Spanish enclave of Ceuta on August 15.
Several anonymous accounts have circulated viral posts on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, urging people to head to the enclave on August 15.
EFE quoted police sources who confirmed that security forces have been monitoring the campaign for several days, examining the posts with “great caution.”
“The origin of these messages could cross the borders of Spain and Morocco. In other words, they don’t rule out that the origin is in other countries and that even the number of followers or likes has been manipulated,” the agency said.
