Moroccan Forces Intercept 4,455 Migrants, Including 519 Foreigners, Attempting to Enter Ceuta

Doha – In a span of just six days, from September 11-16, Moroccan security services intercepted a staggering 4,455 individuals attempting to irregularly cross from the northern Moroccan city of Fnideq into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

Among those apprehended were 3,795 Moroccan adults, 141 Moroccan minors, and a notable 519 foreign nationals, including 164 irregular migrants of Algerian nationality.

A security source disclosed that six organized assaults were made on the border fence separating Ceuta from Morocco, but no successful breaches were reported.

Seventy individuals, including sub-Saharan Africans and Algerians, have been referred to the judiciary for their alleged roles as instigators. The remaining migrants are set to be transferred to other Moroccan cities.

Melilla, another Spanish enclave bordering Morocco, also witnessed thwarted migration attempts. From September 15 to 16, Moroccan forces intercepted 434 Moroccans, six sub-Saharan Africans, five Bangladeshis, and two Algerians in the neighboring city of Nador.

In a related operation last week, police in Tangier and Tetouan arrested 60 individuals, including minors, for their suspected involvement in creating and disseminating false information on social media to promote irregular migration.

Technical investigations, supported by data from Morocco’s Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), led to the arrest of 13 people for publishing and sharing digital content linked to the border crossing attempts. Another 47 suspects were apprehended upon arriving in Tangier by train and bus.

The surge in migration attempts coincides with a viral social media campaign that openly encouraged youths to breach the security barrier between Fnideq and Ceuta.

Even with a substantial security deployment in response, hundreds of young Moroccans arrived in Fnideq over the weekend. Local media reported that police worked through the night to detain the aspiring migrants and bus them back to their home cities.

As the only land borders between the European Union and Africa, Ceuta and Melilla are hotspots for irregular migration.

In August alone, Moroccan authorities prevented over 11,300 attempts to enter Ceuta and more than 3,300 into Melilla.

Since the start of the year, Moroccan security forces have foiled 45,015 irregular migration attempts and dismantled 177 human smuggling networks, according to the Interior Ministry.

The involvement of hundreds of foreign nationals and the well-orchestrated social media campaign behind the latest migration surge present new challenges for both Spanish and Moroccan authorities.